Beware of roses, for they have thorns
by Five seas
Summary: They were just a comic relief, but they had lives of their own. A series of one-shots, dedicated to the Lilly 5, their lives, hopes and dreams.
1. Sweet sensitivity

**Just as it says, a bunch of one-shots about the Lilly 5, their lives, dreams and feelings. Beginning with the promised shot about Horo and Lilly. His goals were many, but now he had but one-to love her forever. One-shot, HoroxLilly, more like a drabble actually. Better than it sounds. Please, don't just pass it by! It just came to me, nothing much, but I would appreciate reviews. **

**I do not own anything but the plot.**

* * *

**Sweet sensitivity**

His dreams rarely had colors. If he dreamt, his dreams would be about saving Kororo's people, about living in a world where nature lived in peace with people. But usually, sleeping was his refuge from cruel reality-a place where he could rest from all the pain he saw….and from Pirika's infernal training. He would just fall into a pitch dark coma and wake up in the morning, refreshed and filled with energy.

Tonight, nothing was different. Again darkness….sometimes he felt so desperate, so tired of it all. Was there a point in going on, if he wouldn't become Shaman king? God, he wanted to cry so much, buy he knew it wouldn't be very manly.

Shh!….what is there?

Horo Horo woke up. At first he didn't know what was happening, he didn't even know where he was. It was dark, and the snow storm was raging outside. He sat up, looking at the shoji doors of his home. No matter how many years passed he still lived with that childish fear that one day the thin paper walls would just give up to the snow and he would freeze to death in his sleep.

He could see the snowflakes, blown away by the wind, like little shadows. If you ignored the howl of the wind you could almost imagine that it was spring and sakura blossoms filled the air instead of snow. However, he liked winter…and right now he wouldn't have it any other way.

Horo lied down on the futon, and threw his arm carefully, as if not to wake her up, around Lilly's shoulders. It was a rare moment, to be awake before her, and he wasn't in a hurry to go back to sleep just yet.

There were times when he wondered how on earth she picked him. Even back at those days, she looked way better, and now that she gave up the ridiculous sweaters and uniform skirts, she looked like an angel. Long legs, thin waist, alabaster skin that glowed in the moonlight, long hair that always smelled like the flower whose name she shared…what on Earth did she see in him?

When Lilly's eyes were not hidden behind her glasses, she looked bewitching! Her irises just had that…deep black color. You could get lost in them!

There it was again! Horo's ears twitched, as his eyes scanned the room, looking for something that might have caused his attention to arise. No, there was nothing. Even the darkest corners remained as they were, before Horo and Lilly went to bed.

He sighed-maybe he was really overdoing himself. Maybe he worked too much. They had gone to Hokkaido, to visit his family and then have a whole week to themselves in the mountains…but he just couldn't stay in one place. Damn, and she was really looking forward to this-why couldn't he just be a romantic guy like Ryo?

For a moment the thought of combing his hair in a pompadour and wearing old fashioned clothes crossed his mind and made him giggle. This was a bit too much! But really, what could he do to make it up to her?

Lilly shifted a little, causing him to lie down again, taking her into his arms. She seemed a little worried, maybe she was having a bad dream. His steady embrace calmed her down.

"Don't worry." He whispered "I won't let anything happen to you."

Surprisingly, she bore the cold just as well as he did. The snowstorms that trapped then inside on daily basis didn't bother her one bit. Even now all she was wearing was a sleeveless night-gown that exposed her gracious arms, long neck and pale shoulders.

Her eyes twitched under her closed lids and she hummed something out. There, again with that feeling. It wasn't a bad one, actually. It made Horo's heart leap and he felt suddenly very warm inside.

Looking down at the girl in his arms, he smiled and bent down to kiss the top of her head, savoring her scent. Horo didn't really know why, but he was pretty sure that she had something to do with this. It wasn't just that their relationship was…well, pretty far off. It was just the way she made him feel….real, complete….alive. Maybe that was the word for it. Alive.

Oh, this time it was very strong. His heart almost came into his throat. What, now his eyes stung?! Was he crying?

Horo almost experienced a heart attack when Lilly's cold hand rose and wiped away the tears from his face. Their gazes met, his eyes were wide from surprise, and she was blinking confusingly against his chest. Maybe because her glasses weren't on-she had gotten used to sleeping with them. At first Horo didn't understand that quirk of hers, but then realized that old habits died hard. Especially SOME old habits.

She had picked up this one back when she was a kid…when she was alert all the times, always ready to run away from danger. And when you had to wake up and run, there was not time to look for your glasses, right?

The fact that Lilly had began to shake off that habit meant a lot to them both. To her, it meant that she was breaking her chains of fear. To him, it meant that she was growing comfortable with him.

"What is it? You can't sleep?" she asked, pulling up to face him. Horo removed a few strands of hair from her face and smiled.

"Sort of…and I wanted to look at you a little."

Lilly smiled devilishly. Then she gave him a better look.

"You seem very excited about something."

"Yeah?"

"Are you worried, my love?"

"I'm not sure. Something is happening, I can feel it, but I can't define it. I think it's good, but I can't tell what it is."

"What is it like?" Lilly sat up next to him and ran a hand through his hair

"Here it goes again! I don't know, really! It's just there….coming on and off. Coming out and hiding somewhere again."

"Oh, that!" Lilly sighed with relief and pulled up to kiss him (thank goodness he was taller then her now) "Are you sure you can't tell what it is?"

"Yes." Horo gave her a better look. "Is something wrong with you?"

"I…" Lilly's fingers started playing with the little belt of her gown. Now she was the one looking a little worried. "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but…oh, this is very embarrassing."

Horo cupped her face and looked at her eyes for a moment that lasted like an eternity. Then he mumbled "Tell me."

Lilly was also looking at him, as if she needed some reassurance. Then, with a shy smile she took his hands and placed one of them on her stomach and the other on her heart. And they waited.

And it hit him. He yelped in surprise and pulled his hands away, as if he burnt them. Then, slowly, just to make sure he wasn't losing his head, he place them back where they were.

"Is it…"

"Yes." Lilly nodded, blushing like crazy.

"But how…I mean when?"

"Um…maybe just now…Don't be mad!"

"Mad? Why should I be mad?" Horo gave her a questioning look

"Well, I know that guys just get a little touchy when it comes to this and…"

He cut her off, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her senseless.

"I can't think of anything right now that would have made me happier, Lilly."

Another kiss.

"I love you."

Lilly hid her blushing face from him, but she didn't seem to mind it. They lay down, and he hovelled close to her, wrapping his arms caringly around her. The snow storm continued to rage outside…but all that mattered to him now was to protect the woman in his embrace, and the new life that was blooming in her.

* * *

A/N-Please don't kill me! Just tell me what you think! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	2. Ghosts of the past

**Yup, a sequel one-shot to 'Blast from the past'. Millie is thinking over the past and the present. Romance/Angst, may seem a little dark.**

* * *

**Ghosts of the past**

No matter what she did it was not good enough. No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to keep up with the rest.

Millie sat on the small chair of her room and looked out the window. The view was rather depressing, just another piece of urban architecture, wrapped up in thick fog-an ordinary site for London, Britain. Sometimes it was so depressing it suffocated her. Indeed, she was having a hard time adapting even after two years of college life, being grown used to the hot and steamy American deserts. They called her weak, but she had learned to deprive herself of the small luxuries of life…to live. Just like them.

Her sister did everything in her power to help her. There were times when Millie wanted to rip people apart for calling Ellie a spoiled mall rat-if they only knew what they've been through…

* * *

_Their step-father was drunk again. Ellie, sensing what was likely to come from this helped Millie on the roof and told her to stay put. She couldn't come up, because he stormed into their room. From the spot where she stood, Millie couldn't see anything, but clearly heard him, calling her sweet sister a whore and witch. _

_Why did people hate shamans so much? Millie and Ellie couldn't help the fact that they could see dead people. But nobody cared-they just wanted to get the freaks out of the way._

_He was hitting her against the wall now. Millie felt a chill run down her spine, as she remembered that time when her sister was only nine years old….god, he wouldn't do that to her again, wouldn't he? _

_And then everything changed. Millie felt something-not unpleasant, more like a tickle in her stomach. But suddenly warmth spilled over her fingers and the small slingshot she had with her. The words came by themselves into her mouth._

"_Onibi…oversoul…in slingshot…"_

_And she was holding a crossbow. A real weapon. Something to protect Ellie with…._

_But she didn't need it. Because almost at the same time as her, Ellie cried:_

"_Kamaitachi! In nail!" _

_The next thing that was heard was a sound of bones breaking. Ellie flew out of the window, up on the roof with more power she had ever thought she possessed. Her left arm was turned into a tiger-like claw and the other was trying to hold together the ragged pieces of her dress. Her surprised brown eyes stared at the crossbow in Millie's arms, and then she picked her up and mumbled hoarsely:_

"_Let's go."_

* * *

The first weeks were a living terror. Ellie managed to hide her sister in a bar, whose tenant had been a friend of their biological father, and for some time Millie stayed for whole days under the counter, while her older sister worked like a waitress in different diners on the highway, earning small tips from generous clients and brought left-overs so they could eat. They spend the nights under the counter of the bar, hidden in the suffocating darkness, only seeking warmth from each other. And so they went on like that, until they found out about the tournament.

They never stopped once to think about what they did or what happened back then. Their step-father was hospitalized, but he had been so dead drunk he could hardly remember anything. Still, they lived with fear that somebody would come and look for them.

No such thing happened-the only person that would have cared for them, their father, was long gone. Their mother was a drug addict, she hardly remembered giving birth to children, had no idea of their names…just a vague feeling of their presence in the house. Ellie was only 17 and she had the body of a grown woman. In many ways, she was a lot more mature than her age would suppose. And Millie, always a shrimp, with a voice that was always squeaky….they could easily pass as a mother and a child…

If they had trained, maybe they wouldn't have been so weak. But then again, their level of power was not what got them together in the Lilly 5-Sally, Lilly and Sharona were just like them-kicked off, refugees, seeking new lives. Ellie and Millie never thought about power and fame, but when they understood that the Shaman King could do almost anything….perhaps, even if they didn't win, they could find a place for them.

Ellie soon found out that it was easier when you acted stupid, and manifested her potential only when it was necessary. Oh, wouldn't she have cut Ryo to ribbons the first time when they met! No matter what Ellie did, or wore, she was like a magnet for lustful stares. If they didn't show off with the spirit control, he would have been sent flying just as he was in mid-sentence. But of course, neither of them would hurt him. Because neither would bring herself to hate him that much as to be really hard on him.

Millie tried to be good, she really did. However, Ellie didn't become stronger just because she was lazy, Millie just couldn't. Ellie could control herself, and Millie let her emotions run wild. And that was the problem-Ellie could take failure a lot more calmly.

Oh, how hard she tried, now that they had a life, to be good and show her sister that her efforts and selflessness hadn't been in vain. She started studying music and ballet, earned a scholarship and went to London…and still something was a miss.

Millie tried hard to understand what it was. She played the violin until the strings broke and her fingers bled. She danced until her feet couldn't carry her and every time she reached her limit, she would sit on the ground. Not to cry, she had made a promise to herself never to show such weakness again, but to think. And she thought about everything over and over again, sometimes about things she would rather not care to remember. And still it wasn't there.

Maybe it was just because she couldn't get a grip on herself.

* * *

Her thoughts were interrupted when he came in. He was wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of black shorts, and he was drying his green locks with a towel.

"I wondered where you were hiding." He said with a smile "Why are you sitting in the dark like that?"

"I was just….thinking."

"Couldn't you think in the study, where it's warmer and brighter?"

"Never really thought about that." Millie laughed, but next thing she knew she was swept in his arms and carried away on the first floor, into the small library. When she felt the warmth of the fire, she realized how long she had been standing in that room all alone-her body had stiffened like a board.

Lyserg placed her on the couch and sat himself on a small chair right next to her. On the coffee table, there were tea cups and a book, one of those pieces of literature that they enjoyed reading together.

Living together was also something that had exceeded her expectations-before he came along, she had lived in a small accommodation, full of rats and leaking sinks. Then, last winter, they had come across each other, fought off a terrible threat, and witnessed Anna and Yoh's wedding-the Shaman king had chosen his queen.

It was so strange, that two people who seemed so distant could grow to be so close-nobody thought that Millie's feelings for Lyserg, even he himself, were something more than a schoolgirl's crush. The intensity of her love had astonished many. The things Lyserg did for her were even more surprising.

Millie's eyes fell on his hand, at the place where his tan was slightly different-the place where his real arm ended and where the artificial replacement Faust fixed him started. It was so realistic, even she couldn't believe it, but the wind that tickled her bare neck every day reminded her that the events of the previous winter were not a dream.

"Millie?" he was looking at her questioningly. The light from the fire was throwing strange caramel shades into his green irises.

"Um? Oh, sorry, was I spacing out again?"

"Yup." Lyserg nodded with a smile "I asked you if you wanted to pick up from where we were yesterday."

"Hm…" she looked at the book in his hands absent-mindedly "Would you mind if we just sit together tonight, I'm not in a mood."

"Sure." He stretched his hands and looked at her "Something wrong at college?'

"No…I was just thinking."

"Something pleasant?"

"I wish. Why do you have to sit on that chair, it's not comfortable." She moved a little so he could join her on the couch, and after he did so, Millie leaned on his shoulder. Lyserg's fingers almost automatically laced through her short, dark hair, and traced the outlines of her ear.

"You're very cold." He commented "Why don't you ever turn on the heat at your room? You'll end up sick like that."

"I'm sorry, I'm making you worry again." Millie smiled sweetly, and he laughed.

"Just take more care of yourself. You're so busy looking after me that you don't pay yourself any attention."

"Aren't you doing that for me?" adorable pout "Or am I just cheaper than a servant?"

"Don't say that!" his tone was serious, but there was a spark in his eyes-lines like this had become their everyday little jokes. Suddenly, Millie felt that the wariness and stupor melt away from her, and a fresh, energetic flux flowing through her veins. The past couldn't hurt her when she had his arms around her, and she knew he'd always be there to scare off the ghosts of yesterday.

She brought herself to give him a kiss on the lips-first gently, and then deeper, more passionately. Lyserg was surprised at first, then he pulled her closer and returned the gesture, bringing her closer to warm up her cold body.

"What happened?" he laughed out when they finally pulled back, a big smile on his lips "You didn't think it was my birthday again, didn't you?"

"Shut up! Why do I need a reason to kiss you?"

* * *

A/N-Why does she really? Coming up next-Ryo and Ellie.


	3. The unspoken promise

**Angsty again. Sorry, I felt a little down.**

* * *

**The unspoken promise**

It was strange-perhaps stranger than most things in her life. But from the beginning of the tournament, Ellie never ceased to be amazed.

The reason why she joined was because of her sister-Ellie was only 17, and yet she had seen enough to realize that there was no place for people like them in this society. All the pain she and her friends suffered, everything they endured, made the promise of a better world so tempting. A world where shamans were accepted by men.

No, Ellie was never selfish. She knew that humans were rightfully the dominating species. She knew that they wouldn't go. But why, why did they have to be so intolerant. She couldn't count the times when she had her hands burned, twisted and cut…so often did her step-father get drunk and beat her up unconscious…just because she was different. Millie was saved from beating because he was too tired after he was done with Ellie to care about the brat…and Ellie endured for the sake of her sister.

Every single time she took a blow, every time she was crashed to the floor, every time she suppressed her sobs of pain…she said to herself that crying was not worth it. Surely there were more shamans on Earth, and everyone had to suffer, everyone had to bear the burden of their powers. They didn't cry. They just couldn't.

* * *

How surprised she had been when she discovered that it was not true. As she watched Yoh Asakura with his family, the way everyone, shaman and men cheered him on, the way everybody helped him get stronger…always, always Ellie felt a pang in her heart. Was it anger or jealousy, she couldn't tell, but she felt she could never forgive them. Yoh and his friends only trained, and trained, fought, face challenges and proved the power of their friendship. None of them was forced to face the opinion of society, nobody was dejected, their families not only didn't punish them for being different, they actually encouraged their going to the tournament. Then didn't have to run away from home, starve on the streets, work their backs off and get their asses ripped to shreds.

She couldn't forgive them.

Millie was too young to remember, but the memory of her biological father had always been alive in Ellie's mind. Before her mother turned to the drugs, before all hell came on Earth…she remembered they were happy. She remembered he loved them. No matter what, he always encouraged her in everything she did. His tenderness and care, his love and respect for every living creature. He taught her to overcome pain and hatred, to judge her own decisions…he was her idol; he was the person she wanted to be.

Which is why she stayed weak. She was lazy, yes, she didn't practice…but being weak so many things were prevented. Her first encounter with Ryo, their first fight-Ellie could've killed him if she wanted. But they only wanted to scare them off, to get their lead in the tournament…and she had compassion. Until she discovered the bitter truth.

Not everybody was abused because of who they were. Her sister and she just didn't have luck. Ellie swore she wouldn't let compassion thrill her again.

* * *

Ironically, he felt for her. Ironically, when her heart finally started to soften up for those guys, and she decided to offer HIM comfort, she ended up being comforted.

Yoh was sorry for them. He understood their point of view. They would've died because they were too proud to back off. And afterwards…everything changed.

Ellie watched as they lost a match. It was their bad day, they weren't concentrated. Of course, Ryo blamed himself because of their failure. He was disorientated, he was uncertain…he lost faith for one moment and everything was lost.

Anna had been furious, but no punishment could compare to what poor Ryo inflicted on himself-he was on the verge of dying from self-pity when Ellie found him. Awkward as it already was, she sat down next to him without saying a word and just looked at him. Then her placed her small palm on his shoulder.

"We lost." He said, his voice horst.

"I know." She replied.

"It's my fault."

"Don't say that. It happens to everybody."

"But master Yoh…"

"Perhaps they might decide to give you a second shot." Ellie smiled, trying not to betray her incertitude. "If not, then it was for the best."

"But master Yoh trained so hard…"

"Many people train hard. Fate has her ways, Ryo. Hao didn't win the tournament, not before, not now. Surely, destiny knows her ways-the power of the Shaman king won't fall in the wrong hands." Ellie came a little closer "How about we take a walk around…find something to get our thoughts away from that."

They crossed Patch village on foot three times, without once paying attention to where they were going. They talked, or to be precise, Ryo talked and Ellie listened. They sat in the only bar still opened, shared a bottle of…something, they couldn't remember what it was exactly. Even Ellie got some of Ryo's depression on herself and gladly drank whatever was offered to her.

However, in the end Ellie turned out to be the more sober of the two-she wasn't even tipsy, just pleasantly dizzy, so she helped Ryo up and practically carried him back to the lodgings. Everybody was sound asleep, some were out…the house was smothered with deathlike silence and darkness. Ellie found the way to his room and carried him to the bathroom. She knew from personal experience that he'd soon feel sick and sore all over, and in such situations you had to have somebody next to you.

They fell on the floor together and she had just enough time to bet a basket for him before he threw up. His body shook violently, he was burning and freezing, barely keeping himself straight. Ellie held him firmly through the shoulders and her small, cold palm supported his head. Some voice in her head told her that she should have been the one feeling bad, but she chose to ignore it.

She placed a towel under the cold stream from the sink and washed his face, brought him to his bed to lie down, and then took his shirt and washed it.

When Ellie came back in the room, she was surprised to find Ryo sitting on the bed, holding his head with both hands.

"You know, you smell great." He said out of the blue "You've got this…great perfume…it's like orange blossoms and roses…"

"I don't remember putting anything on." Ellie mumbled, as she approached him and tried to force him to lie down again. "You should rest, you know. Do you want me to get you something for the headache?"

"No, don't worry. My hangovers aren't that bad." He looked up at her-the front of her clothes was specked with water and her skin looked paler than usual "You're so caring, Ellie."

"Thanks." She planned on going home, but he was still looking a little down-perhaps she was still needed. She knelt down to be on the same eye-level with him and asked: "Is there anything I can do for you? Painkillers aren't a bad precaution."

"Thank you, but I'm sure I won't need them." His fingers gently stroked her sides, and his eyes were filled with longing "Why are you so beautiful, Ellie?"

Pain had had her consequences on her-Ellie was just 17, her best years were before her, and still she felt old. Her body was heavy and tired…right now all she wanted was to sleep. As if life itself was drained for her. And yet still, her heart leaped when he tenderly caressed her cheeks, and it started beating even faster when he pressed his lips on hers.

A hot wave ran over them both, and suddenly they discovered they were completely sober and thinking. He brought her close, flickering his tongue over her lips and parting them. Ellie let out a quiet moan and let him do what he want, surprised at the way she responded to him, at the way he came to her…as if their presence only triggered the hormones and emotions, locked into their bodies. It was as if a thunder storm had erupted between them, and they needed to get as close as they could so they might not be overwhelmed.

Ryo couldn't understand where the heck did all those things come from. Yes, he was cocky and flirtatious, but he hadn't been close to a girl enough for them to do something more than kissing and (on rare occasions) making out. And still, just by bringing her body close, all sorts of instincts and wants erupted in his body, desire and longing smothering him almost to death.

If any of them pulled away, they'd die. They both knew it.

Ellie knew theoretically what was supposed to be happening (despite everything she had been paying attention in health classes), but it was one hell different when she got the experience from first hand. She never gave into her emotions because she knew they would overwhelm her and she wouldn't be thinking straight.

However, when he touched her skin, something, a memory long buried and hidden, something she always tried to forget, snuck through the desire and pleasure and pierced her brain, causing her to stiffen up in fear. And despite herself, Ellie started shaking violently.

Ryo pulled away to see what was wrong. Later on, he realized he hadn't been more scared in his life than when he saw her like that-her pretty features stiffened in death-like paleness, her eyes far, unseeing, her lips trembling as if she was about to cry.

Ellie knew she shouldn't be doing this, she tried to calm him, to calm herself, saying that she was alright…and yet she couldn't…she wouldn't….she could just tremble with fear and shame at her own stupidity.

He understood. Maybe not exactly what was bothering her, but he could understand. Ryo wrapped his arms around her and drew her close once more, so her head might rest on his shoulder, and whispered so quietly only she could hear him.

"I'm sorry Ellie, I was selfish. Burdening you with my problems, without thinking even once about you. I'm sorry, forgive me."

Oh, how she wanted to tell him that he shouldn't tell her that. That she was not worthy of this kindness, of his care. She wanted to get up and stop burdening him with her fear and ghosts…yet she couldn't. Ryo cradled her in his arms and shook her comfortingly like a fragile child, who had a bad dream. And it was like a river was let unfrozen after a long winter-Ellie broke down in tears. All the pain, all the suppressed sobs and cries, eight years of holding back, everything was let out at once.

They didn't know how long they stood out of time, they held each other, they cried together, he listened to her pains, her disappointments, her fears, and he sheltered her from all of them. In the end, they fell asleep in each other's arms, the first peaceful sleep they had had in a long time. Two souls, hurt beyond anything that could be reverted, strangely enough found the will to heal into whatever they were supposed to and face the future hand in hand, keeping each other from breaking again. And as the first rays of the rising sun dried their tears and they opened their eyes to see each other, they knew they wouldn't break apart. Ever.

It was an unspoken promise.

* * *

A/N-Hate me, for I am one angry bitch with no sense of humor (please, I need some serious feedback, I really do). I'll try to make the next chapter brighter. Coming up next-Sharona/Silva.


	4. Silva and Sharona part 1

* * *

…**and Dare**

The lack of sleep, the moodiness, smoking more than usual. It was a sign of a storm-a really violent and horrible storm. Ellie, Millie, Sally and Lilly had grown used to tell their leader's moods just by the amount of lemonade she drank per day…which was just about the only way one could do that, as Sharona had the mood swings of a pregnant woman…or several pregnant women. At one moment the was euphoric and energetic, and in the next-sour like a lemon.

So they were, more or less, prepared for the time when everything erupted. They were just discussing what to make for dinner when she suddenly kicked the wall…hard. After they stared at the small crater her foot made for about…ten minutes, Sally grabbed Sharona by the collar and dragged her out to the nearest bar. When Ellie and Lilly joined them a little later, the tall blonde was just calming down.

"Where's Millie?" She asked.

"I put her to bed." Ellie said "I'll just be here for a minute and I'll be going back."

"Oh, I'm such a moron." Sharona sighed "I should've been more careful."

"Nah, don't worry about that. Are you calm?" Lilly asked

"I am now."

"Good, cause there's something we need to discuss."

"What?"

"Your personal life, girl." Lillie rolled her eyes "And it's a conversation that should be led between all of us…well, except for Millie, she's a bit too young for that."

"Girls, I appreciate your concern, but…"

"No buts. You've been tense all week. Did you really think we wouldn't notice that?"

"Yeah, and besides, we're not in the tournament anymore-why are you so worried?" Ellie leaned on the table "Is it because we lost?'

"No? Of course not…" Sharona breathed-for goodness' sake, Ellie was so…right to the point sometimes.

"Then why are you so uptight?" Lilly looked at her with those grey piercing eyes. "Everybody loses, Sharona. Yoh's gang lost as well today."

"Which reminds me that we haven't seen them. How about we go to their place and talk to them about losing and…"

"Don't change the subject!" Lilly counter-attacked.

"I am not! Really, you guys worry about nothing. We're shamans, we don't chase ghosts, right? And my proposition was perfectly reasonable-since we have more experience in the art of losing, our advice is of good value."

"Whatever." Sally spoke calmly and looked at Sharona in the eye "There is a problem, and there is also a solution."

"What?"

"Get laid."

"What?" Sharona looked around, as if to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Sally, you can't just…"

"Oh, please, we're in a bar. Like anybody is sober enough to listen." Lilly rolled her eyes "But yeah, Sally's got a point. Some good, healthy sex and you'll be back on track."

"You guys, you're talking as if I'm a tractor." She frowned "Anyway, what does that have to do with being tense?"

"It has a lot to do. So let's get right onto getting you some nice piece of ass so you can blow off some steam."

"If it's about blowing off steam, I can fight and everything will be alright. And besides, you can't just walk up to some guy and say 'You're good looking, let's have sex.' Things just don't work out like that."

"We're not saying that either. Who do you like?"

"Uh?"

"There has to be somebody you like, don't you? So we'll just bring him out here, let you two chat a little, maybe catch a late movie and then probably make out in the park. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Ellie, if you say something like that again, I'll personally book you an appointment with a shriek. Anyway, it's not that simple-he doesn't even know I exist."

"Who?"

"Silva." The moment she said it, she knew that she made a big mistake. Sally, Ellie and Lilly looked at her blankly, then burst out laughing. Sharona pouted and crossed her hands, protesting silently against such childish behavior, even though she realized that this was funny.

"A priest?" Ellie asked, regaining some of her composure back.

"Geez, Sharona, why haven't you screwed him already?" Lilly asked, puzzled "I mean, he's not even bound not to cooperate anymore. We're out of the tournament, he has no business with us."

"It's not about the tournament, he already likes that Kanna from the Hanagumi."

"What, that tall, busty blue-head?" Sally asked "With the gorgeous hips and a cigar between her lips? I thought they were banned after Hao's defeat."

"They were, but Yoh-kun stepped in for them. They couldn't just leave them in the middle of the desert. Even Lyserg didn't object."

"Oh, right-when it's about Hao's gang he's ready to be generous just because their leader's dead, but when we step in to save his ungrateful ass he just walks away caosue we're weak." Ellie crossed her arms.

"Plus, the Hanagumi have tits." Sally said. This time, the calm statement shocked not only Sharona, but also Ellie and Lilly, who seemed as if thunder had struck them.

"Excuse me? Must I remind you how many times I was taken for a hooker just because I can't find a big enough bra?" Ellie asked

"Yeah, but neither of them seems embarrassed because of what they have. I mean, just look at Kanna-her breasts can easily fall out of that tube top she wears. Is that why you're so uptight? You don't think you can beat her?" Sally looked at Sharona, who was praying nobody would hear them.

"Don't be ridiculous." She stated "If you must know, the Hanagumi have nothing that we don't have, and vice versa. We're on the same level…physically. There is a psychological difference, of course."

"So you're saying they're better than us? Changing loyalties whenever it suits them?"

"They don't change loyalties, and I never meant that." Sharona crossed her arms "I just know when I have lost. I've seen Silva looking at Kanna and I can say they are very much in love."

"Since when was that important?" Sally rolled her eyes "Anyway, you can't be sure."

"Yeah, the last time you guessed somebody was in love with you, it turned out that he was after Ellie."

"What's that have to mean?"

"You're too dense to know how people feel about you. How can you be sure Silva isn't secretly using his privileges as a counsel member to spy on you?" Lilly smirked "The only way to find that out for sure is, of course, approaching him and telling him how you feel."

"OH, please. Like I'm dying for that guy."

"But you're blaming yourself for our loss." Sally turned to look at her "Ever since Hao was defeated and all the commotion died out, you've been strange. You're probably wondering what would have happened if we weren't so weak. If we only trained more, if we worked harder on our strategy, or if we had joined Yoh's group and earned the power in that tome they read? Truth to be told, Sharona, we wouldn't have changed anything. We're lazy, and we don't want to fight. All we want if comfort, a safer place for us, a place where we can be who we really are without being judged or prosecuted."

"Yeah, and if we are a loss, it's not because of you. You can't change who we are or what we feel. We wanted to get to Patch village, and we got there. The fact that we're not in the tournament anymore means nothing. We're not being chased away, aren't we?"

"But what if we do get chased away?"

"Then we won't be the only ones." Sally said and pointed at the door, where Yoh's gang had just showed up. They were looking miserable and crushed, like somebody who had just had their asses kicked. Silva, like a good cousin, was making them company, and team The Ren had also come.

"Well? What now?" Ellie asked. Seeing Ryo, she had suddenly felt her stomach drop-the look of desperation really didn't suit that guy, he was like a puppy that lost its master. Grief struck and irresistible.

"I'll go back at the lodgings." Sally said and got up "Make sure Millie's not alone and stuff. You guys go make them company and…go easy with the drinks."

"Oh, Sally, you sound like my mother." Lilly frowned "You know that we won't get drunk."

"Yeah, but don't get them drunk either." Sally stated and walked out of the bar, waving at Yoh's friends on the way. Only Ren returned the gesture, but it made the group notice Lilly, Ellie and Sharona, and the female shamans quickly joined the loser team on their table.

* * *

At first they barely talked-they just took small sips of their drinks and made some remark on the weather. Then the boys started loosing up, talked more freely. No mention of the Shaman fight was made, but that was for the best. Silva didn't talk, Sharona didn't talk, but the others were soon chattering, and as it turned out, more than one needed to loosen up.

Just as Horo Horo and Ryo were in the middle of some heated argument (too much stress does that to you), Ellie slammed a bottle of alcohol on the table with a dangerous smirk and turned to the boys.

"Ok. I say it's time to play a game. I need an empty bottle though, so here's the deal-whoever takes the biggest sip gets to dance with me."

Yoh and Ryo exchanged a few glances, then shrugged-at that point it was all about anger and frustration. Losing the Shaman fight, just as they were so close…yeah, nobody liked that. Even if they weren't very interested in dancing, something, anything, had to help them forget about that moment…and Anna's horrible wrath.

Ryo took a sip and choked. Yoh did a little better. Just as Ellie was about to pick up the bottle to examine it, Lilly made a grab for it, and as she was sitting on the table, started to drink as if it was water. The brainy girl didn't even blink and her face remained impassive. When she finally lowered the bottle, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and headed towards to dance floor with Ellie in toe. (yup, too much of Frida Cahlo. Oh, well)

Watching the two women dance was enough to keep the men from fighting, and for a while, the whole bar was quiet. Ryo and Horo had long forgotten about their fight, and stared at Ellie and Lilly in alcoholic stupor.

Then Ryo got up and went outside to get some fresh air. Ellie followed him. After a few minutes, Faust decided to take Yoh back to the lodgings, and Chocolove gave the stage a try. They threw rotten vegetables at him, and yet he said they were more polite than his usual audiences.

Sharona saw that Silva was sitting in the farther corner of the room all alone, so she decided to go to him.

"Hi there." She let out a smile "Why's good looking guy like you sitting all alone?"

He looked puzzled, so she just dropped the act and sat next to him.

"You seem pissed." She stated "Why?"

"Yoh lost today."

"So I heard." Sharona looked him under her perfectly formed eyebrows "Are you going to blame yourself for it too?"

Silva gave her a sour look. Whenever he saw that woman, he always…Gaah, he couldn't define it either. Sharona wasn't the person you can define as good or bad. She was something in the middle, always keeping away from the real battles, doing her best to avoid them. And yet when it came to fighting Hao, when the battle was none of her concern, she led her team into an apparently suicidal mission to aid Yoh. Underneath the shallow exterior lied a very perceptive mind-she was able to estimate the situation without even bothering.

The Patch priest didn't loathe her for the ways she chose to fight, even though he hated cheating. He didn't admire her, even though he was sorry that a talent like hers would remain unpolished. Indeed, with some work, she could've become a very good fighter…but that was not his business. He was an observer, interference was the biggest taboo ever. Ok, a forbiddance, a forbiddance that he overlooked, and still…

Ok, so maybe he shouldn't be so hostile-after all she just asked. He sighed and leaned back on his chair.

"The results were inconclusive. We weren't sure which team gave out first."

"And they kicked Yoh's team out of the fights because you turned out to be relatives? Please." Sharona rolled her eyes "The council knew about Hao's reincarnation into your family already, why didn't they stop Yoh from participating in the first place?"

"The council is having doubts. They knew that Yoh was the only one who can defeat Hao, and so he did. But now, they fear that our relativity would influence my decisions and…"

"They think you let him pass the first test? They think you'd let him get the crown? Oh, please."

"You really don't understand."

"Oh really? Then explain? What's your problem?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Who was she to him to ask such things? Really, who was she? Just another shaman, just another woman on the street. They barely knew each other.

And yet…and yet she sat so close he could feel the warmth of her body…could hear her breathing…and her eyes looked straight into his, soberly, truly understanding…as if they'd known each other for years. Were they so shallow? No, just the same suffering and doubts made the two shamans living reflections of each other.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, would you not know the person looking back? Would you not know his hopes and dreams and pains just by looking at his eyes? Aren't they painfully familiar?

Their noses were almost touching, and Silva could almost taste her lips. All he had to do was to lean down and there-easy as that. Sharona was so close to getting annoyed with anticipation, when the doors of the bar burst open and some people went in. There was commotion, and at some end of the room, a fight started. Silva got up to stop it, and when he turned around, Sharona was gone.

* * *

She was running…running with no direction, lost in the darkness. Panting, she held her throbbing ribs as she leaned against a wall in a small alleyway. She knew it was a bad idea, she just knew it. But it was so good, thinking that for once, it could've worked. However, it wouldn't. Because she couldn't do it. It was too much.

Oh no! Now it was inevitable. Drawing one sharp breath, Sharona closed her eyes and prepared. A small cloud of smoke erupted, and then the alley was empty.

* * *

A/N-Second part, coming soon. I know this is confusing and stuff, but...oh, well.


	5. Intermezzo No1

**Yes, a freaky little chapter, but I just felt like writing it. I just wanted to warn you guys that this fic goes to the M section because of...ok, so I'm throwing some lemons on the way. If it's not your cup of tea, you don't have to read. **

**As usual, I own nothing but the ideas for the plot...not that there is much of a plot.**

****

**Intermezzo No.1**

He remembered, vaguely, that he wore a tulip tucked into his tab, instead of the usual thistle, the flower that was on his family's coat of arms. Thistle meant vengeance, strictness and independence, all characteristic traits of his family, he knew that because it had been bumped into his head since the earliest childhood. However, he couldn't come to remember what the tulip meant-all he could recall was that he chose that flower because he was impressed by its unusual color-bright red, almost orange in the base of its petals, the color growing deeper to the tips, which looked like they had been soaked into red wine. He knew that white wine tasted best when it was young, and that red wine got better with the age. If that was true, then the wine that gave the tulip this wonderful color could have been one of the finest.

The night was warm, but cloudy, and the guests gathered in the big ballroom. He didn't enjoy big crowds, but his extra special friends threw the party and he couldn't refuse them. Instead of chatting or inviting somebody to dance, he preferred to stand next to the wall and observe everything from a safe distance.

The white mask on his face provided him with a good shield, something that he could use to hide away his natural shyness. He enjoyed masquerades, because then everyone could be free, even if it was just for a single night. Be who you want to be, and go back to your life later, as if nothing happened. His friends were obviously enjoying themselves, and the guests were content. The music was nice, the food-wonderful, and the company was great.

Indeed, the night was perfect for an indoors party-the moon was shadowed by the clouds, and the stars could barely be seen. It started to drizzle-indeed, if they had been outside, things wouldn't have been so comfortable. At least now…

He noticed her standing out of the bright light in the other corner of the room. Like the other guests, she wore a mask over her face, but unlike the cheerful and funny variations the others had picked, she had chosen a simple, black domino that covered her eyes and upper cheeks. Still, it did nothing to spoil her natural beauty. Her face was a bit pale, but still charming, without any trace of make-up. She was dressed elegantly, in a dress that fitted her petite form perfectly, without exposing much. The skirts were hanging loosely from her hips and dance around her round knees as she walked. It was dark red-the same color as the flower in his tab.

As if she felt his gaze, she turned to face him, and an enigmatic smile appeared on her face. She barely turned the corners of her mouth up, but there was something so calm, so sweet in her…some sort of light her entire person radiated. Slowly, she got out of the place she had been hiding and made her way to him. He also started walking towards her, wondering what to say or do to a person he had never met and still made him feel so…right.

They stopped a meter or so away and looked at each other. Examining their faces, their smiles grew wider. Finally, he offered her his hand and said:

"May I have the next dance, Miss?"

"Yes…yes you may." Her voice was quiet, but sweet, and for some reason made the little bells in his head start ringing. Slowly, he led her to the dance floor and they waltzed. No words were needed, they spoke with their eyes.

Melodies changed, but their pace never altered. The rhythm was steady-one, two, three, one, two, three.

"What is your name?" he asked

"What difference does it have?" her eye color could not be told-her irises were dark wells and clear ponds at the same time. "The name is something we use in our lives to distinguish one person from the other. This is a masquerade-people come to be somebody else."

"And to live the life of somebody else, just for a while." He counter attacked "How am I to call you if I don't know your name?"

"You're saying that one night can last a lifetime?" she looked at him pensively.

"Yes."

"Well then…" a shy smile "If that is the case, then you can call me Tulip."

"Why tulip?"

"Flowers have special meanings, you know."

"What is the meaning of tulip?"

"Well…" she laughed "That is for you to know. You're the one who is wearing it."

He looked down at his tab and blushed. Now how could he tell her he picked that flower because of its color.

Without realizing, they had gone outside on the terrace. It wasn't raining anymore, the air was fresh and sweet, but the moon was still clouded. It didn't matter.

Faint music came from the room…it sounded like the waltz from Swan Lake. She smiled and stood in a position, her hands making a circle in the air. It was a silent invitation.

It had been years since he had been dancing, but he took her offered hand and supported her as she stood _en point_. She took a few steps, occasionally turning and smiling at him. He also smiled, as the hours of training came back to him and without noticing it, they danced a _pas de deux_.

He lifted her up, her hand passed through his shoulders and her legs stretched, he turned. Quietly, like a cat sets down her paws, she landed, he supported her waist and she turned. Another lift, and their eyes met. He froze, as if lightening struck him. Brown, her eyes were brown…and now that their color was no longer unidentified, he was shocked to see their depth, their beauty…as if a door to her soul had opened. Little did he know that his eyes were no different.

Fingers lashing through his hair, she held him close as he set her down. Tulip bowed her head and closed her eyes, some unknown suffering freezing on her pale face. Then she looked up at him, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry."

Their lips were so close…all he had to do was come a step closer and they wound be separated by nothing. But she caressed his cheek, then turned and ran away, a few silky locks of hair flying behind her. He wanted to run after her…but something held him down.

Tulip…seek nothing…

Lyserg collapsed on his knees.

* * *

A/N-I took the meanings of the flowers from Wikipedia, sorry if I'm wrong.


	6. Truth

* * *

**Truth…**

Sally's first thought when she heard the loud knocking on the door was "Somebody's going to die." Then, remembering that Sharona, Ellie and Lilly were still out, she got off the couch where she had dozed off and headed down the hallway, yawning and rubbing the back of her head.

She opened the door, and looked blankly at Silva, who was leaning on the frame, panting. A small grin crawled on her lips, but in was soon smothered by her usual expression.

"Why are you here?" She asked, then looked over his shoulder "isn't Sharona with you?"

"No…why should she be?"

"Never mind. What do you want?"

"I came to look for Sharona."

"Oh."

"She disappeared from the bar and I couldn't find her."

"Why would you care?" Good question, one of his guardian spirits asked, but Silva didn't mind who that was. "I mean…you guys weren't in the middle of something, right?"

Silva opened his mouth, then closed it. Surely, he had to define 'in the middle of something' before he answered. They weren't doing anything special, just chatting and sitting…unusually close. No, close was not the right word-they were almost touching. Their bodies were millimeters apart, as if they'd catch fire if they touched. He remembered the look in her eyes, the fresh color of her cheeks, her hot breath that mixed with his…oh boy, he had to stop thinking, or else he'd get into serious trouble. Taking a deep breath, and praying to the great spirits that his voice remained calm, he said:

"I was just worried-there was a fight going on and I thought that she got into trouble. I looked around, but there was no trace of her."

"Define around?"

"Um…couple of blocks? I mean, she couldn't have gotten too far with those high heels, right?"

"Yeah…" Sally drawled "She couldn't have. So you guys weren't doing anything…too usual. Just…sitting in the same room?"

"You can put it that way…I mean, we were sitting."

"Right…" Sally watched him carefully, and Silva felt as if he was being examined. Then the girl shook her red head and grabbed her boots. "Listen, I'll go find her, why don't you come in and sit in the living room or something. I don't wanna leave Millie-chan alone, and the girls might come back. You're not a secret lolicon, right?"

"Of course not!"

"Ok, just checkin'. I won't be long, if you're hungry, there is stuff in the fridge. Help yourself."

"Um, thanks I have already….dined." he paused as the door shut behind him. Silva thought about things for a moment, then sat down on the couch where Sally had lied.

* * *

"Why would you care?" his guardian ghosts repeated the red-head's words. She was a shaman, just another of the hundreds in Patch Village. Silva fancied himself a man of good sense-that was a very important trait in being one of the ten priests. He always thought about what he was doing, and he always tried to be objective. Not that he succeeded all the time, but still…and there he was, worrying over that girl he barely knew, a girl who, aside from being very strange, had nothing special about her.

Shamans from all over the world wanted to be victorious in the end. To wear the Shaman King title and rule over everything with the powers given. It was needless to say that those who fought fair were little. In truth, there was hardly anybody who didn't try to cheat, bribe and manipulate his way to success. Sometimes, they even got away with it. But Silva was definitely not the kind of man to fall for somebody's pretty eyes.

He caught himself pacing about the room, then looked around-the lodgings were simple, plain, with nothing more than what was needed. A bathroom, a kitchen, a living room and four bedrooms. Ellie and Millie, obviously, shared the same room.

Silva stopped, just as his hand was about to rest on a door knob. What was he doing? Going into people's room was not only illegal, it was immoral and indecent. The hell, he knew exactly where he wanted to be, he wanted to be back at his place reading a good book or enjoying the latest episode of "Mi gorda bella", but no-he was sitting in the common lodgings, GIRLS' lodgings, and he was looking for the room of a particular woman.

Holy shit, he was acting like a teenager-next thing you know, he'd be going over her things and trying on her bras. This wasn't right, he shouldn't be feeling like this. The best thing to do, he resolved, was to go to the hospital wing and get himself a full check up to make sure he wasn't being fed (yet again) some nasty poison, and to make sure his hormones stayed low, he would take a really, really cold shower.

"Too late" a voice called into his head as he found himself in a small room, the door closing behind him. Well, there went his resolve. While he was too busy thinking about what was right and what was decent, his body had acted on its own accord and led him to Sharona's room. And he knew it was her room-there was just no way he could mistake the fragrance of her perfume, mixed with the tobacco scent from the pipe.

The place was small, and neat. Actually, to his surprise, her suitcase wasn't even unpacked. It felt as if she had just arrived…or was about to leave. No scattered belongings, no small objects of personal value on the night stand…perhaps she didn't have any, perhaps she didn't want to get attached to the place, or maybe she liked to be prepared, just in case she had to leave the room in a hurry.

Silva sat down on the bed and looked around. For the first time he realized how unappealing these rooms were. They worked well for sleeping, but they were nothing more than a roof over your head. Stoicism, they called it. To him, it was cheep greedy. If they made people pay such impossible prices at diners and shops, why couldn't they offer some luxuries and small comforts? Hell, people came from all over the world for this tournament, and they were offering them some shitty places to stay at astronomical prices. Something had to be done.

"Mew?" the noise made him leap up. He turned and saw a cat, sitting on the window. Another issue to be solved-animals shouldn't be free to come inside the lodgings whenever they chose-what if somebody was allergic and died in the middle of the night?

Surprisingly, the cat didn't move even when he screamed and tried to scare her off. Actually she looked bored, almost as if she had been interrupted during something important. Then she sighed…ok, her moth opened, and air came out…but it seemed so human, that Silva was almost sure that he heard her gasp.

"For goodness' sake, what are you doing here?" the cat asked, making him leap up once again. "Oh, close your mouth, Silva, it doesn't suit you."

"Sh…Sharona?" he asked, dumbstruck. There was just no way you could forget that voice. "What are you…"

"Shut up! I'm asking the questions. What the fuck are you doing in my room?! You stupid, perverted…" if they thought she was tense before, now she was like a wind up toy-ready to explode. And for a good reason. Because her angry speech was cut short by a small explosion that filled the room with nasty smoke, and when it died out-a very naked young woman.

Silva gulped and unconsciously stepped back, tripping over her suitcase and falling on his ass. Sharona sighed with annoyance and stepped off the bed, her golden hair cascading down her slim, pale shoulders and covering her like a mantle. Her chin was up, showing off her long neck, her cheeks not one bit rosy, her posture showing no embarrassment or shyness. Heck, even when she was stark naked she still had the air of a queen.

"Well?" she asked "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I…I…" Even though the situation was awkward enough, Silva started feeling more at ease, seeing that she wasn't uncomfortable at all. "You left so suddenly, I thought you felt ill."

"Well…" she looked at herself with a sigh "I expected this…more or less. You needn't have worried."

"You mean this is…" he made some uncertain gesture that included the room, the furniture and her. Sharona laughed bitterly and wrapped one of her bed sheets around herself. While she was doing that he got a pretty good look of her slender silhouette and characteristic profile. He also noticed some sort of tattoo on her hip-something that looked like runes. She followed his gaze and smiled calmly.

"You're wondering what this is?" she asked. Silva nodded. "Don't you judges interact in any way? And I thought you guys were friends."

"We all very different." He shook his head "Just because that Patch village is a very small community does not mean that we are all on good terms. Most of the time, we barley notice each other. My only real friend is Kalim."

"I see." Sharona nodded "It is, I guess, pretty much the same as any other place in this world." She noticed his interrogating gaze and laughed "Ah, yes, the runes. Well, after my girls and I found each other and decided to participate in the tournament, we fought the same priest to get our Oracle Bells. Of, course, we all passed. But our furioku is of a very special kind…we need to be constantly on alert, lest it gets out of control. When we are stressed or upset or…very, very angry, it peaks and gets impossible to tame…and then some very bad things can happen. The priest noticed that and explained the problem to us. Apparently, it can get very dangerous from time to time, and those tattoos can keep it down. Yeah, it makes us very weak, but if things got desperate, they can be overcome. That would make us very dangerous, but…that's for the better, I suppose."

Silva just stared at her. Now that she told him, he remembered those runes-they acted as seals and did a very good job, but they were usually used on shamans who had committed some sort of offence. They were never used for keeping somebody's furioku down because it was too dangerous, but there were cases when shamans couldn't control their powers.

Even though it was hard imagining the Lilly 5 as powerful, but now it made sense. The seals kept their incontrollable furioku down, and the girls kept a low profile to avoid dangerous fights. That's why they weren't petrified by the thought of facing Hao in a fight-they knew that if things got desperate they could show enough force to stay alive and hope that they'd be saved before they got turned into smithereens. Perhaps they even knew that they had been late when they managed to hit Yoh back then…or maybe they understood that it wasn't worth it. Either way, things were very different now.

Sharona sat down and crossed her legs. Her body was still cold from that little walk she did outside, but she was getting used to it. Surprisingly, spending time as a cat had its benefits-it helped her stay calm when things got out of control, and she knew she wouldn't lose it even when she got herself into a situation like the one she was in now. Yes, she could sit naked in front of a man without so much as a blush, and still…when that man just stood there, staring blankly at the wall…well, it was annoying.

"So…" she said "Now that you can see that I'm alive and well, you can go now. Maybe you can catch the end of the soap opera too."

"What?" Silva was taken away from his thoughts and stared at her "Don't you think you should go to the hospital…if your condition is like that you should…"

"Oh please, you sound like I'm pregnant." She rolled her eyes. "And what do you suppose I should tell them? 'Sorry, I turned myself into a cat, it's perfectly normal, but maybe you guys can do something about it…'? Please, Silva, it's not a disease or something I can't handle."

"So it's…normal?" he couldn't believe his ears.

"You can say that. It's just a manifestation of unstable furoku. When my body temperature and pulse return to normal, I'll renew the spell on the seal and it'll be as if nothing ever happened."

"But if you keep it bottled, sooner or later it might explode."

"Yes…" she nodded "Today it did just that. But that's because…" Sharoan was about to say because she dropped her guard, but then she decided that this was something he would rather not know. "It does not matter anyway, and it's the only logical solution."

"Have you ever thought of taming it in some other way? Special training for instance."

"Hey there, hold on. I didn't know shamans even existed before my powers manifested. The girls and I learned everything on our own, through trying and failing. How do you suppose we know about special training and technique if nobody bothered to teach us?" there was some sort of reproach in her voice, but she felt it and quickly calmed herself "Listen, I understand that this is a very intriguing conversation, but can we please leave it for some other time?" Preferably forget about it even occurred, she added in her mind.

"I can't go. Sharona, this may seem small, but it's very important that you stay calm."

"For goodness' sake, who are you, my father? I've been dealing with this for quite a while now, I know what to do." She was pissed "What's the problem-found a rare animal and you're looking for a way to exploit it?"

"You speak nonsense. I am concerned about you."

"Well, it's very generous, but I can pass without your concern. What is this all about, really? Who the hell am I to you? What do you want from me?"

"And why are you so suspicious? Do you really think that one would be nice with you only if he wants something?"

"Damn straight! Why the hell would humans invent kindness if not to get what they want?"

Silva stared at her, dumbstruck. She wasn't kidding, wasn't she?

"Sharona, this may be hard for you to comprehend, but I am sincerely worried about you."

"Why? What am I to you?" Good question, again…and yet he wasn't backing out on this one.

"I don't know." He admitted "I cannot define it. It's just that I feel bound to you...if it wasn't to you, Yoh would have probably never understood his father's lesson…about the way you use furioku and stuff…"

"Oh, so you're just paying me back." She snorted, but there was bitterness in her tone "Even though it's very nice to see there are well behaved people around here, Silva, I did not do anything for Yoh. He would've understood his lesson sooner or later."

"It's not gratitude…it's bounding. I don't know why, I just…I told you, I can't name it. It's not something you can put into words."

"You mean something YOU can't put into words." She was really pissed "I have a pretty good definition-this is lust, and you're lusting after me because I'm not a person you can categorize. Am I right?"

"What do you mean 'lust'?!" he burst out "I am not some…"

"It's lust, and there is a nice big lump in your pants to prove it!" she screamed and caused him to look down and blush. Shit, when the heck did that happen?

Sharona knew she ought to be amused by the situation, but right now she was too pissed to care if he dropped dead on the floor or walked away. However, Silva wasn't embarrassed either. Let her think what she pleases, one half of his brain called out. You know where the door is, leave her shout at you.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the other part of his brain, the impulsive and right now, aroused part, had control over his body. He didn't know when he had gotten up and closed the distance between them, one strong arm pulling her close, the other holding a fistful of hair and pulling her so that she can look at him. What was happening to him? This wasn't like him at all, to act so crude and unrefined…but it felt like it was happening into some other, a more distant part of his brain. Right now his prime concern was the woman in his arms, who was even now, not lost her cold-blood and stared him right in the eyes.

"Well?" she asked "What are you waiting for?"

He looked at her questioningly. All he wanted her was to shut up so that he could explain herself, but now he realized that he neither couldn't, nor wouldn't. Besides, the way they were standing was suggestive enough. Sharona frowned, turned around and pushed him off her. However, she didn't run away. Taking a step back, she flipped her head back so that her hair can fall off her shoulders and chest.

"This is what you want, don't you?" she asked, her hands undoing the improvised robe she was wearing. "It's what you want, so come here and take it!"

Silva stared at her with bewilderment. Sharona was supposed to be angry, mad, enraged but all her body betrayed was unspoken sadness.

"You think that all I want is to have sex with you?" he asked quietly, his eyes suddenly becoming warm.

"What else is there left?" she sighed and turned her head away "Now, hurry up, let's get it over with. I still need to sleep."

He came closer and she closed her eyes. She knew what was going to happen, history liked repeating itself, after all. All he wanted was her body, that's what they all want. And she was going to give it to him, what choice did she have. Tomorrow or maybe the day after, they would be gone, far away. After all, it turned out that Patch couldn't offer them a home. Sharona knew she should've seen it coming…but still she felt disappointed.

She gasped when she felt something warm covering her body. Her eyes shot open to see that Silva had thrown his cloak over her shoulders so that she could be warm. She couldn't hold back a gasp as he made her sit down and knelt in her feet.

"You really don't know what it's like…to be looked after, don't you? Always running, always looking for something and failing…no wonder you can't know kindness, even when you meet it." She looked away, he caressed her cheek. "I wish I could do something to prove what I feel to you…but you won't let me, won't you."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, Sharona. I was too pushy." He got up with the intention to go away, when she ceased him by the wrist.

"Show me…" she said, looking straight into his eyes. From the way she was standing, golden locks of hair falling around her tormented face, she looked so inconsolable. But Silva nodded with a smile and knelt down next to her, and took her hands into his. He rubbed the fingers to warm her up, and then pushed himself up to kiss her.

This time she got the message right.

* * *

A/N-Lame? Stupid? Sorry.


	7. Talk about moments

**Call it a sequel to 'Ways of life', if you like.**

* * *

**Talk about moments**

Ellie stirred in her sleep, desperately trying to come up with some position that would be comfortable for her. However, this could not be and she gave up, opening her eyes with a loud sigh.

A quick glance at the clock told her it was 1 AM, January 13. Great, waking up in the middle of the night meant only one thing.

Not that Ellie was a sound-sleeper. No, actually the years spend in fear of an unexpected beating turned her body and mind into a state of constant alert; she could rarely relax, her muscles tense and ready to make her members defend her at all times, if necessary. It took her quite some time to shake off the paranoia, and she never quite got rid of the feeling of distress.

Ryo said something in his sleep, but she couldn't make it out. Lucky guy, his breasts and back didn't hurt like hell. And it was all his fault!

'Oh, God, this isn't happening, please, it can't be happening.' She thought furiously.

Not that it was bad or something. She had been through worse. When she went back five years ago when her first pregnancy occurred, she couldn't help but laugh. Back then she was all alone-she left him, because she felt that it was for his best. Her friends were by her side all the time, and yet every night of fear about the baby, every moment of indisposal, that she spent alone, was a torture.

Now she had nothing to fear. Ryo was by her side, loving and caring as always. And yet she couldn't help but feel distress. It had been so long, she had almost forgotten how it was. Now…

She drew a sharp breath. No, it was still too early! It was really too early! But then again, you could never know for sure. She couldn't. She remembered everything now-the waves of pain and fear that woke her up, the distress, the kicking…

There was a quiet knock on the door, barely hearable. Then it slid open, and their daughter Aiko quickly stepped into the room, carrying her katana in one hand, and her spirit guardian in the other, ready to Oversoul any moment.

"Mommy?" She asked "Mommy, is something wrong? I felt your furioku peeking and…"

"Don't worry, darling. It's ok." Ah yes, unstable furioku. Great, now what? She was sure there was no way out this time.

"Mommy? Is my brother ok?" Aiko looked carefully.

"He must be." They never went to a doctor to see the gender of the baby, but Ellie had a sixth sense about these sort of things. Ryo refused to believe her, but she knew it for sure.

"Ai-chan…please go to the closet and fetch that bag we prepared…for the special occasions."

"Ok, yes! Should I call for a cab? Or better yet-should I call auntie Sally?"

Ellie glanced at her sleeping husband. He, at least, didn't suffer from an insomnia. She could try to wake him up, but it seemed rather impossible.

"Wait for a while, dear, but dress properly." It could be a false alarm. But Ryo would never forgive her if he missed the birth of his second child. She barely talked him out of delivering the baby himself…if Sally witnessed the arrival to the latest addition to their family he wouldn't calm himself down…ever.

Aiko nodded and ran as fast as she could towards her room, putting away her sword and slipping into her school uniform. It was honestly disgusting, but she didn't have time to pick her clothes. She paused, then grabbed her teddy bear, Hormonized Bastard (officially Sammy, but she kept calling him that when nobody was around to hear it), and made a move for the sack.

* * *

Ellie sighed-it was inevitable. Now that her back ached like that there was no other explanation-the baby was on its way. She pushed herself up on her elbows…

Only to find two strong arms wrapped around her. She pouted and pulled harder, but Ryo merely snorted in his sleep and pulled her into his arms and pillowing his head in her hair. AND HE WENT ASLEEP AGAIN!

Ellie started moving, trying to struggle out of his grip. It was nice to hug, but right now she really, REALLY had to go to the hospital.

"Ryo…love…please. I have to get up…"

"There are no fights today, dear. Go back to sleep."

Great, now he was mistaking the times. Maybe he felt bad about letting her go away the first time. Maybe he always though about what would it have been like if he had discovered her pregnancy at Patch, if he had held her down, married her then and live happily ever after. It was sweet, but now Ellie didn't have the time to be sentimental.

"LISTEN YOU…" she began "YOU BETTER LET ME GO RIGHT NOW OR I'LL GIVE BIRTH TO THIS BABY RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW AND THEN YOU'LL SEE!"

What, moody already? Wow, it turned out that Aiko had been real Miss Patience when it was her turn. This baby, boy or girl, was eager to get out, and was sending his father a clear message. He was going to be there, even if Ellie had to beat him awake with a stick.

Thankfully, this wasn't required. Because just by the sound of her voice, Ryo bolted up and looked at her, absolutely awake.

"Let's go." He said, quickly getting up from the bed and helped her on her feet.

* * *

And since when such special occasions fate likes to play tricks on people, their car wouldn't start.

"Ok, girls…" Ryo tried to sound as calm and composed as possible (which was pretty hard, given the fact that he had two women on the verge of a nervous break-down behind his back) "I'll just call a cab."

"You will do no such thing! I'll be in labor twenty times before a car gets here! Especially with this snow!"

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Get the motorbike out!"

"Ellie, you know that I can't…"

"They're here!" Aiko exclaimed, when a klaxon was heard from the outside "Auntie Sally's arrived!"

Ellie and Ryo looked at their daughter in pure bewilderment, and then went outside, where a big black car was parked.

"Well, are you two going to stand there or will you guys come here?" Ren said from the driver's seat.

* * *

The atmosphere was tense, as Ellie was trying to breathe evenly, Sally tried to comfort her, and Ren was driving extremely slowly. Ryo was really uneasy, tapping his fingers and sighing.

"Um…Ren-kun, can you…"

"No." he stated flatly

"But…."

"Look, if anyone gives me advice on how to drive, they can just get off and walk, pregnant or not!"

"Cross, isn't he?" Ellie joked, breathlessly. "Why are you together, by the way?"

"I was coming back from a party…"

"And I was just driving by…"

"And he saw me…"

"So we stopped for a coffee…"

"And then Ai-chan called…"

"So I came to help." They said it like a movie script they memorized, voices even and calm. Ren's expression was pretty stiff, and there was a certain twitch into Sally's eyebrow that told them that the subject was not to be discussed. Ellie and Ryo exchanged broad grins.

* * *

It was harder than the first time. Ren and Sally sat with Aiko in the waiting room (Ryo was too stubborn to let Sally stay with Ellie), and after some time, Sharona arrived. The blond leader of the Lilly 5 took off her coat, and shook the snow off her hair, then sat down with them.

"This is like déjà vu." She stated "Only that Lilly and Millie aren't here to be worried with us."

"Yes, but at last we've got somebody to beat the crap out of." Sally yawned "Should I tell you not to worry, Sharona, or you already know it."

"Oh, be quiet." She got up and started pacing about the hallway. Not so much from worry, but for the sheer pacing. "They say adrenalin keeps you young. And I have not just one to worry about."

It was true. Lilly and Horo went on a trip to Hokkaido that prolonged…and Millie earned a scholarship for Oxford, which automatically made Lyserg offer her a room in his house. Whatever did those guys do in those distant places was a source of constant stress for Sharona, who, like a worried mother hen, tended to exaggerate in her thoughts.

"I really can't understand why on Earth Ellie isn't worried about her. She's her sister, you know." Sharona stated "Millie's her sister, you know."

"But mommy says that Auntie Millie isn't a baby anymore, and has to learn how to live her own life." Aiko stated, leaning on Ren's arm. "I think she's doing well so far."

"Yeah, but Sharona thinks that she and Lyserg are…"

"Watch you tongue, Sally! Ai-chan…"

"I know, I know. Making babies." Aiko yawned "Though I don't understand why are you so worried about it. It's not like it's illegal."

"Yes but Millie's so…Never mind. I just can't picture Millie like a mother…and making babies is a very dangerous process."

"I'm sure they're using a condom, Sharona." Sally grinned "And so does Lilly."

"Thank you Sally, that makes me feel so much better." The blond woman stated dryly.

"Does any of you have something more to say or I can unplug Aiko's ears?" Ren asked

* * *

Inside the maternity ward, Ellie was panting.

"When will he be out, doctor?"

"You're doing great, Ellie-san, and so is your baby. Don't worry, it wouldn't be long now."

"I'm not talking…about my son…When will Ryo be back up so that I can kill him!?"

One of the nurses chuckled, as she was trying to bring about Ryo, but the doctor gave her a serious look. He, as well as the other nurses was already sorry for having let Ryo in instead of that calm, tall woman that offered her help, and were halfway willing to call her. Of course, it was good to have the father of your child by your side, but he was no good fainted on the floor.

Ryo, however, managed to wake up just in time-Ellie's furioku, usually too feeble to be of any danger, was now out of control and raging around her like a rabid halo, and she was too much in pain to control it. He quickly went to her, took her hand and started whispering something to her. Soon, her breathing became stable, and she smiled widely.

Things couldn't get any better.

* * *

"Well…" Sally stated "This baby definitely looks like the last one. Maybe its head is a bit different."

"Sally!" Sharona scolded her "He's perfect, Ellie."

"Yeah…" the blond woman smiled, both at her husband and at her son, whop, after screaming everybody's heads off, was sleeping peacefully "We make good kids, Ryo. And they even admit it."

"Jeez, Sharona, I can't believe I hear a praise out of you."

"Well, it's not that hard to get it." She stated "How are you going to name him?"

"Hikaru." Both parents said in union. Aiko, sitting by her mother, smiled.

"Thank goodness it's a boy."

"Why is that, dear?"

"Well, he'll be honest with me. And I can help him chose a wife. And he can scare off boys I don't like, right?"

* * *


	8. French blues

* * *

**_French blues_**

_The wine is drank, the cards are rollin'_

_A gal is smoking, a guy is drunk_

_Out the door, the rain is falling_

_Eleven strikes-another perfect night_

_&_

_From the door, I see her standing,_

_By the bar. The light goes dim._

_The stage is calling. She turns_

_And takes it in a flash_

_&_

_Her eyes are fine, her hair is golden,_

_Her legs are worth killing for,_

_The voice is rich, the smile is blinding,_

_A glass of fine champagne_

_&_

_But I don't see her legs, her hair,_

_I feel nor rich voices, nor eyes so fine,_

_Her smile is late, my eyes are blinded,_

_And hell, I don't even drink champagne_

_&_

_Her dress and jewels are not what gets me_

_(I can't tell Cavalli from Loran)_

_Herself, her spirit is what hits me_

_(the spark behind the snobbish clothes)_

_&_

_I wait her gaze to meet me,_

_I'd sell my soul for just one look,_

_And yet she passes me,_

_Without a second glance,_

_&_

_Oh, poor heart, poor soul_

_That knows no light, nor warmth,_

_Oh, sweet flower, Captured_

_By the cold,_

_&_

_Sweet kisses, lost forever._

* * *

**A/N-**You've probably guessed who that is.

**Re-birth of shaman king challenge by Five seas**

Ok, so as all of you may have noticed, this section is dying. Literally. As a very concerned reader I feel it is my duty to help its rebirth. So, I am setting up this challenge for all of you young heads full of ideas.

**The idea**-A short Shaman King story (not more than 5-6 chapters long), involving a character that is not very popular. You all know who I mean-the people left for comic relief or just filling up the storyline, like Ashil, Anis, the Lilly 5, Morphine, Amidamaru, Mosuke, etc. etc. In short-characters, who don't participate in more than 10 stories on this site.

**The purpose**-To make this section richer and varied, to refresh it and shine the spotlights on characters that are not usually there. Ok, I can't offer awards for best fic yet, but let's do some writing pro bono, eh?

**The limits**-There are't any-just that the main character has not participated in more than 10 stories on this section. The choice of his/hers story partner/s, rating, plot, etc. etc...it's all up to you. Let's just bring this section to life, people.

_All of you who are willing to participate, please send me a PM to let me know, and I will add you to the list of people who are participating. Then write your story (if it's in the next 2-3 weeks, it'll be appreciated). You can answer by review as well, I just wanna know who will join me into the quest of bringing neglecting characters out of the dark!!_


	9. Horo and Lilly part 1

* * *

**My frozen flower**

Bang! Horo never imagined his first meeting with a girl to be so…unexpected. Lilly practically fell from the sky…or from a tree, as you like it. At first he didn't recognize her…and then he felt like all the air was pumped out of his lungs. She hadn't just grown up, she was gorgeous. Later that day they were stuck in a small café, and while the rain was pouring down they actually talked. He never considered himself a shy person, but girls made him lose his tongue for some reason. It was different with her-she actually made him open up.

Strange enough the idea of living together was his, but Lilly was the one to voice it. Since the theatre trope where the girls worked decided to stay longer in Japan, the dorm where they lived was no longer useful-other tropes were scheduled to come and the rooms had to be freed. The Ly's were left on the street.

* * *

At first they stayed with Anna and they worked for room and border in the kitchen. However, they couldn't rely on her hospitality-the tourist season was coming up and she might need the spare rooms in the Osen for guests. They had to find apartments.

Ryo, Ellie and Aiko were to move into their own home, and after some convincing Sharona made Millie realize that ballet wasn't the only profession in the world. Millie decided to study harder in order to get into a good college…and out of Anna's hair. And still they were too much.

"How about we move in together?" Lilly asked Horo one day. They were sitting in their favorite café, he was eating some sandwich and she was having an orange juice.

"Huh?" was all he could reply. Then he swallowed and raised an eyebrow "Lilly, why did you suddenly start thinking about that?"

"Because…because things have changed. Because everybody's saving for lodgings and everything's so expensive. Millie is going to need lots of space to study now, and Sharona and Sally aren't very likely to find somebody to move in with, if you know what I mean."

As usually, her frankness left him speechless. So he let her go on. Actually, he was having a bad feeling that Anna had decided on kicking him out, now that his sister had gone back to Hokkaido to help their parents.

"If we split the rent and other expenses, I think we'd be able to manage it."

"Yeah, well…" his eyes turned, scanning the room for some miraculous inspiration of what to say. Lilly was looking at him patiently, and then said:

"You're…not ok with that, then?"

"No, I just….well, yeah…stop trying to psychoanalyze me, Lilly." He threw his arms out in a desperate attempt to explain "I…I'm aware that Anna wants me out of the house and I'd love to have a roommate…but I just…It's just too sudden. I mean, we haven't been going out for three months now and still you….The question isn't if it's ok with me! Is it ok with you? Moving in is a big step!"

"I know." Lilly stirred the juice with her straw, a sure sign she was nervous. "But…we're really running out of choices and we can't depend on Anna's hospitality. Besides…we don't have to be like…like you know….we can be like…roommates. I understand this is something….big…it's something big for me as well so…so…"

"I get it." Horo sighed in relief "Well, then I guess we have nothing to lose. Let's do it."

* * *

It was windy outside. The sun was about to set and the room was bathed in the golden light of its last rays. A few dead leaves hit the glass, before being carried away. Winter was coming.

"What are you looking at?" Lilly's voice came behind him. Horo turned his head with a small smile on his face. Even though the weather was far from warm, she only wore a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. She was drying her hair with a towel, a few ebony strands were whipped over her pale face. The glasses were left somewhere, which pleased Horo-usually she forgot to take them off even when she slept. He knew that because during his occasional midnight snacks he went to see if she was tucked in properly.

Lilly didn't have a very peaceful sleep-sometimes her nightmares didn't leave her alone during the day. She turned, fell off the bed, talked in her sleep, even screamed. The glasses were always on, in case she had to wake up with a start and run away from any danger.

The fact that she was allowing him to see her without them meant that she was starting to relax.

While they were sitting to dinner (Lilly was cooking of course), Horo saw that they had some mail.

"Who's in from?" Lilly turned her head from the casserole to see. "Sally?"

"No, though it would have been nice to see a letter from her." Horo said. It came rather as a shock to them all when two months ago Ren and Sally told them that they were going on a trip to China. When Yoh asked them why they were going there Ren said that he wanted to introduce his "girlfriend" to his parents. It took them a while to understand who he was talking about. And then all Hell broke loose.

Nobody ever thought that the two of them had been dating in secret since…even before the second tournament. It was…unbelievable, and the two of them…they were so different. They couldn't understand how could Ren and Sally possibly manage to keep the whole thing a secret for seven years. And more importantly-why were they telling them now?

In response Ren took Sally's hand in his, looked her deep in the eyes and said: "Because it's time to stop fooling around."

So they left, and everybody was very curious if Ren's family approved Sally.

"No, this one's from Pirika." Horo said, while reading it.

"_Dearest nii-chan,_

_How are you? I hope you're following that diet I sent you-it's very important that you do._

_Everybody's Ok out here, we're working on restoring some of the lakes. Hopefully, we'll be able to help Kororo's family before the first snows._

_Speaking of lilies, how's Lilly-chan? I hope you're treating her with respect-otherwise it's double triple pull ups for you! Tell her I tried that recipe she sent me and Kenichi Nakamura has fallen in love with it. He comes to dinner almost every night._

_Speaking of which….Mother and father's anniversary's coming up. Why don't you and Lilly come by for a visit, eh? I'd love it if you can make it-everybody's very anxious to meet her._

_Very best wishes,_

_Pirika."_

"A visit to Hokkaido?" Lilly exclaimed "That sounds great."

"Yeah, but my parents' anniversary's in 5 days." Horo mumbled.

"That gives us enough time to take a few days off and even see some sights." Lilly smiled.

"Are you sure? You do realize that we'll travel by motorcycle and the weather out there is pretty cold. I can go by myself if you're not ready for this."

"I'll be perfectly fine. Besides, knowing Pirika, I bet the whole village already knows that I'm coming."

"Yeah, that's right. But…wouldn't it be a little exhausting for you? It'll be a real test of strength."

"Don't you worry about me." Lilly chipped and gave him a kiss "I assure you I'll be perfectly fine."

* * *

Now the problem was….how exactly were they going to prepare their luggage? Horo had a motorcycle and of course, they had to take only the most necessary. After some discussions they managed to fit everything in a small traveling bag. So they were on the road in less then a day.

There wasn't much they could do or say-the noise from the engine and the howl of the wind were swallowing their words. Horo was playing with the gears from time to time, drawing his attention away from the fact that Lilly's body was pressed tightly to his back.

They ate dinner at a pit stop. The night was exceptionally warm, so they sat outside, and enjoyed watching the cars pass by. There were dogs barking in the houses nearby, and you could feel a sharp scent coming form the near gas station. They were having beer and chips, to Horo's great delight, and in general, they were having a good time.

Cars stopped, usually filled with young people, who were going skiing. Talking, laughing, on the whole the atmosphere was great. From time to time Lilly felt pierced by jealous stares, and no wonder-her boyfriend was absolutely handsome. Horo was now taller than her, with broad shoulders, and he had stopper wearing that headband of his-frankly he looked way better that way. Lilly on the other hand still felt like a wall flower, because even though she dressed with more taste and let her hair down, she was flat like an ironing board and her features were as always too pensive. In short, she was always the geek.

Some girls were talking in the background. Their conversation was mixed with many other sounds, but it was clear they were talking about them…and that they were pretty unhappy about what they saw. Lilly didn't need to hear their particular words to know what they were saying.

Horo noticed it. In his opinion, his girlfriend had only two faults-one of them was that she was unable to lie. The other one was that she always put up whenever people treated her badly. He tried his best to make her feel more welcome, more loved. He hugged her and kissed her, and had a good mind of getting a tattoo that said "Lilly's property" on his wrist (she managed to talk him out of that, but still…). Horo heard that women loved that because it made them feel special, but in Lilly's case it only made her uncomfortable.

But now those gals needed a little lesson.

"Ne, Lilly, you've got some souse on your face." He said, casualty itself.

"Oh?" She snapped out of her nightmare in embarrassment land and looked at him "Where?"

"Here, allow me." Horo leaned forward and caught her lips in a deep kiss. He barely suppressed a chuckle-her startled expression was priceless. And he was pretty sure those gurls had swallowed their tongues. But then her hands grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him closer. After a few minutes they broke apart, panting, but pretty damn happy.

"I say we pay up and get going." Lilly smirked "Before they kick us out for over-doing the PDA."

"Heck, you can never overdo PDA." Horo said, but obeyed and stretched his legs before hopping on his bike again.

* * *

They were driving near a lake when suddenly Horo felt something was wrong. The road was bad and he was losing control over the motorcycle. They were either going to crash or fall down. Apparently Lilly felt it too because when the bike started dancing on the iced highway, she wrapped her arms tightly around his chest and her legs tangled with his-when the motorcycle flew off the road, they managed to jump up and land on the sand.

Next thing Horo knew, there was a black void surrounding him. Then it was the feeling of pain, smothered by pleasant warmth. He tried opening his eyes a few times, with little success. When he finally managed to do it, he found that they were still there in the sand. Lilly had wrapped her jacket round him so she could keep him warm.

He got up and looked around. Her glasses were standing in the middle of a badly drawn circle in the sand, surrounded by some sort of sphere. Lilly was kneeling close to it-her eyes were closed and her lips were parted. Horo crumbled nearer, noticing that her shirt was unbuttoned and her whole body was trembling.

He touched her forehead and backend his hand almost immediately-she was on fire. Now that you mentioned it, her entire body was covered in sweat, and she was panting.

"Lilly? LILLY!" Horo screamed, shaking her up. She opened her eyes, but they were blurred.

"Oh, God." He whispered "STOP IT, LILLY! IT'S OK, YOU CAN STOP NOW!"

Gasping, Lilly fell forward and knocked him down. Immediately, the violent wind lashed through their bodies, but he didn't notice. He closed his eyes and asked Kororo to build a shield. Then he touched her forehead-her temperature was now dropping quickly, but she was still in danger. Horo held her closer and whispered:

"Hold on there, girl. I'll get you out of this." He whispered, then threw her over his shoulder and broke out a dead run in a random direction.

* * *

**Re-birth of shaman king challenge by Five seas**

Ok, so as all of you may have noticed, this section is dying. Literally. As a very concerned reader I feel it is my duty to help its rebirth. So, I am setting up this challenge for all of you young heads full of ideas.

**The idea**-A short Shaman King story (not more than 5-6 chapters long), involving a character that is not very popular. You all know who I mean-the people left for comic relief or just filling up the storyline, like Ashil, Anis, the Lilly 5, Morphine, Amidamaru, Mosuke, etc. etc. In short-characters, who don't participate in more than 10 stories on this site.

**The purpose**-To make this section richer and varied, to refresh it and shine the spotlights on characters that are not usually there. Ok, I can't offer awards for best fic yet, but let's do some writing pro bono, eh?

**The limits**-There are't any-just that the main character has not participated in more than 10 stories on this section. The choice of his/hers story partner/s, rating, plot, etc. etc...it's all up to you. Let's just bring this section to life, people.

_All of you who are willing to participate, please send me a PM to let me know, and I will add you to the list of people who are participating. Then write your story (if it's in the next 2-3 weeks, it'll be appreciated). You can answer by review as well, I just wanna know who will join me into the quest of bringing neglecting characters out of the dark!!_ Part two of this story will come out...eventually.


	10. Horo and Lilly part 2

* * *

**Staying awake**

She felt strangely lightheaded, but her body was heavy like lead. She was burning and freezing at the same time. They described this as love, but right now she felt it was more like being trampled on by wild horses. Lilly wanted everything to end. To open her eyes and realize it was just a bad dream.

Sadly, something told her it was not going to get better if she woke up. Right now she wanted to drift off into a peaceful slumber and never wake up.

"Please, don't give in!"

Who was that? Lilly frowned. Nobody called her back, not when she was that far off. Oh, yeah, by that time they'd have already called the paramedics, who forced her back into her body. Why? She always wanted to ask them that question. Why were they torturing her with their medicine and their electric shocks and blood transfusions, when all she wanted was to give in to the sweetness of oblivion? It was their job, their duty, she knew that, and maybe it was not something a good Christian girl would want to do, but every time they got her 'broken', as they stated, she wished they could not bring her back.

In other words, she ran towards the light.

And there was always a stone to trip over.

But now it was different. No medicine. No heart massage. No defibrillators. There was just this voice, calling, reaching out to her, with so much love and desperation she wanted to shed tears of sadness. A part of her wanted to weep-why are you doing this to me, why are you hurting me so, I'm so tired, all I want is peace! Another would possess her and make her run towards the voice with no hesitation-there was still a lot to do.

* * *

She opened her eyes to darkness. No…she was not dead…death was not like that. There was just no light in the place…and her glasses were gone. Still, she managed to make out a blur of blue hair and a pair of teal, worried eyes.

"Horo…" she managed out, before a sharp pain in her abdomen seized her and she whined.

"Relax, don't worry…Everything will be fine…" he tried to sound assuring, but his voice was shaky and teary.

"I'm sorry to have worried you…"

"Worried? You scared the shit out of me…but don't trouble yourself, you have to rest."

"Where are we?" her throat was dry and her lips-cracked. She could hear the storm raging, but she couldn't tell where it was. "It sounds like the end of the world out there."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. There was an old shelter nearby and I brought you in."

"That explains the smell." She winced when the stale, dusty scent hit her nostrils. "It's cold out here…"

"I know…I couldn't get the heating on…And the cell phones don't work, I can't call anyone for help…"

"I'll be ok, really…" she tried getting up, but his hand held her down. She realized she was lying on a roughly made wooden couch. He had made a pillow for her out of his jacket and he was now kneeling by her side.

"How long have I been out like that?"

"Not too long. And the storm has just began." He sighed deeply "I wish there was…"

"Is there firewood? There's supposed to be, in shelters?"

"There is, but very little…and the snow damped it…"

"Get it in here, into the fireplace…" Horo did as she bid, not knowing what she'd do. When he placed it in the small fireplace, she told him to step back. "Oversoul…" she muttered, and set the pieces of wood on fire.

"Idiot!" he went to her "Dismiss your guardian! You're too tired as it is!"

"It's better to have a fire." She sighed and leaned back on the wall, before giving him a smile "That way we'll live through the night."

"Yeah, I guess." He sat next to her and touched her forehead "At least you're not feverish. Do you feel your legs? Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine, just sleepy." She frowned "Did I crack my skull?"

"No."

"Hmm…" even if she wasn't bleeding, that didn't exclude the possibility of a concussion. She had to stay awake, at least until a doctor looked at her. "Hey, let's talk about something." She cooed, while taking his hand in hers.

"Ok. What do you wanna talk about?" he asked, while lying down and resting his chin on her stomach. She giggled, since it was one of her ticklish zones, but she let her fingers slide and play with his snowy locks. He closed his eyes and tried to memorize this moment-the warm fire, the sound of sparks flying around the chimney, the smell of burning wood, the freshness of winter outside, the roar of the storm, the darkness and light that danced on the walls, her body so close to his and the way everything felt so right.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

"Yeah. You got us into a trap."

"Damn it…" she whispered quietly and sighed "Not much romance there, eh?"

"Not really. But there was that time by the river with the snow storm…that was romantic."

"Yeah…us frozen to death and you guys bringing us back to life." A soft sigh escaped her lips as he scooped up and let her cuddle in closer. "Sharona wasn't really pleased."

"Yeah, she hates having to own somebody."

"Are you surprised…given our background?"

"No, not really." He frowned "Always on the run…no wonder you guys don't trust easily."

"I mustn't fall asleep, you know. It's not good, until I get to be examined."

"What can I do?" he asked with worry in his voice. She looked at him.

"Don't talk about the past. Let's find a more imaginative subject."

"Like?"

"Yeah, you're right, there's not much to talk about ,eh?"

"No."

"By the way, I heard from Sally yesterday, while you were loading some gas in the bike."

"So the Taos didn't turn her into a zombie?"

"Not really. But she may be forced to wear a dress."

Horo tried to imagine this. It didn't work out.

"Don't laugh. For your information Sally looks really cute when she smiles."

"I suppose I should believe you, since you're the only one who's seen her like this." He shrugged "But I just can't picture it."

"Sadly, that's the case." Lilly looked at his sleepily "Horo…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm…pretty?"

"I think you're beautiful." He whispered and kissed her. Lilly moaned in delight and ran her fingers through his hair. "How am I going to keep you awake?" he whispered "No matter what I do, you seem sleepy."

"Sorry." She pouted "You know, there is something we could do, but I'm not sure if we're up for the challenge."

"Tell me."

She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up and freeze. He looked at her in utter amazement.

"You do know we don't have…"

"We do."

"Really?" he stared at her.

"Unless of course you don't want to do it."

"Nope, I'm a guy, remember? But…I wanted to wait until you're ready."

"There's no time for that-if I should die tomorrow…"

"Which you won't…"

"Whatever, I just want to live my life the fullest." She pouted "No point in delaying the indelible."

"Jeez, what got into you?" he laughed and kissed her

"…"

"…"

"Dear God!" He breathed and looked at her "You are so not concussed."

"Am too. I can't see straight."

"You can't do stuff like that when you're concussed."

"Oh, fine, have it your way. There's no point in arguing with a guy." She moved to another end of the blanket-covered floor and rested her head on the improvised pillow her jacket offered. "THAT definitely helped me stay awake, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? Damn it, Lilly, I love you." He pulled her close and kissed her "I've…never felt anything better in my life."

"I'm glad to hear it." She giggled.

"Don't say it as if it's a favor. I mean it. That thing you did drove me crazy."

"What thing?"

"You know…in the end. How'd you do that?"

"Girls can do that."

"Oh." He said intelligently, realizing that it was yet another entry for the list of _'only girls can do'_ things. Then he remembered a thing he read once by mistake in one of his sister's magazines. "Hey, aren't girls supposed to…you know…hit it a few times? I mean…you're the ones in pain, it's only fair."

"Yeah, we are supposed to, but I was too tired to get there."

"…" Horo stared-he'd never heard such a thing. "What do you mean too tired?"

"Hey, I'm not high on stamina like you. Besides, it was fulfilling."

"How can it be fulfilling if…" he paused "I mean…it's not fair for you to get only discomfort."

"Fine, I won't argue, but I am tired, with a car crash and furioku drain and all."

"Sorry, I was being inconsiderate."

"No sweat. I'm the one who's lazy."

"Not lazy." He smiled "You're never lazy. I just wish you didn't miss this."

"Sometime later. Or, of course, unless you're willing to do all the work yourself this time."

"Of course." He scooped her up in his arms, causing her to giggle "Come here you…"

Later on, they managed to get to a doctor who concluded that Lilly was not concussed. But later that winter, they had to visit the doctor again, this time for a happier reason. (see chapter one for clarification) : P.

* * *

A/N-Ok, I'm off climbing mountains now. Please review?


	11. Whisper

**This is dedicated to kyokoaurora-Thank you for the reviews and support, and I'm sorry if this seems hurried.

* * *

**

Whisper

Close your eyes…leave the world behind…focus on your dreams and let me lead the way….For some time, he had led it so well she actually believe the illusion. Now it was broken, again by him.

Not that it was his fault-sure, anybody could be brainwashed into hunting out and killing their loved ones, but being a Patch Priest, she had though he was stronger than the usual lot. Apparently, she was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

Sharona sighed and whipped her blond hair from her eyes. She had cut it short when she realized that it was going to be a nuisance, always getting in the way, always having to wash it longer and longer…like she didn't have enough troubles as it was. Her colleagues said it looked very nice, but she knew her face was too bony, her eyes too big, her lips too bloodless…her entire being was a mere shell, a skeleton of the woman she used to be.

She leaned over the cradle and stroked her son's brown hair. Paul was such a good kid, even though he didn't know it yet. He never bothered her. He was always so calm and always let her be calm. You could tell he was a cousin of Asakura Yoh-he slept most of the time, his nanny thought he was a doll. She saw a lot of things from his father in him-the hair, the skin, the firm line of the jaw, still softened by the babyish plumpness, but she knew it would evolve. And thank goodness he took after him, Sharona mused, she couldn't imagine how kids would pick on him if he inherited her snake-like features.

Yes, she really was like a snake. Skinny and lifeless, cold as ice…the men at work stayed away from her, whether it was because ghosts like to hang around her and thus the temperature often dropped significantly, or was it because she just froze their blood with cold, they just did. And they didn't make their funny dirty comments about her being frigid and stuff-they didn't pursue females over a certain age.

Over a certain age…she was hardly 23 years old. Just barely out of night college. She had to hire a nanny to look after her baby, not being able to take a whole year off to dedicate herself to motherhood.

"You're going to kill yourself like this." Ellie had told her, but nothing could persuade Sharona to follow the young woman and her boyfriend back to Japan. Yoh was too close to Silva…if he knew…

She shuddered. It wasn't his fault, but the memory of that night haunted her like a bad dream. Sharona had had to use all her power just to stay alive, and protect her baby…and then, when the cold waves of the sea washed her on shore, the last thing she had wanted to see was Silva. That cold look in his eyes, that blank expression…it was like a zombie. And she was terrified of it.

It was silly, staying away when she needed support and help most, but there was another thing. A feeling of dread that he wouldn't accept her. They had been together briefly, no strings attached, just fun and games and that was all. Could he possibly want to have something to do with a woman like her? An illegitimate child, daughter of many men, a woman with no mother, a lonely person. He'd doubt he was the parent of Paul, even though the signs were everywhere.

Maybe only I see them, she thought.

But even if he did, would he want to be with a woman like her? She opened the small album she kept by her bed, near the cradle, and opened it. Pictures of the girls and their boyfriends (husbands in Lilly and Horo's case) spilled out, covering her with smiles and happy faces. They had all matured, Sharona thought as she watched them. Sally's face seemed less angular when she smiled, Ellie looked great when she dressed elegantly, Millie had certainly grown and Lilly…well, it's about time for her to be killing Horo for getting her knocked up, but she would be better after it was over.

As for her, the only picture she had taken of her was for her ID. She hated the way she looked-skinny, dry, dead. At 23 she was wasted, a shadow. How could Silva want her when he could have any other woman in the world?

* * *

There was a rustle of wind and she got up to close the windows. It was a hot summer, but the draft was killing. It nearly gave her a heart attack when she turned around and came face to face….well face to chest, since he was still taller than her, with Silva.

Her throat went dry when she realized she was looking at the Patch Priest, and her heart stopped when she figured out that she was found out. So she did what people in her situation usually do.

She slapped him. Which, obviously, he hadn't seen coming, because he tripped and nearly fell over. However, she didn't wait for him to gain his balance, shot forward, kicked him and then oversouled her spirit in the shape of a sword, something she had learned over the months of isolation and solitude.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, raising his hands protectively over his face "It's me!"

"I know!" she said, already forming seals with her other hand "And if you dare move, I swear…"

"It's me, Sharona!" he yelled "I'm me! I'm not going to hurt you!"

"It's a bit too late for that, you bastard! How did you find me?!" she exclaimed, holding the sword to his throat.

"I looked! I followed you!" he looked up at her "May I say you're very hard to track down?"

"Maybe that's because I wanted to get away from you, damn it!"

"Will you please stop this, you'll wake your child!" Silva hissed, as if it was sacrilegious. Damn, Sharona thought, putting away her sword, I'm such a softie. But still, when he acted like that, she was sure he was to his senses.

"What do you want?" she asked, this time considerably calmer.

"What does it look like? I wanted to find you!" Silva got up and looked around, not able to suppress a smile. The apartment was small and humble, but her sense of style was apparent. His eyes wandered back to his former lover and noticed how different she was. "You shouldn't have cut your hair. It suited you better when it was long."

Sharona, still alert, just shrugged.

"Looks didn't matter where I was going. And if my face doesn't scare unwanted suitors off, the label single mother sure does!" she didn't attempt to hide the fact that she was with a child. She had never hid Paul, as if she was ashamed of him. Perhaps the only person to whom she hadn't told the truth was his father.

And she had a good reason not to.

Silva looked at her, slightly baffled. "You surprise me. You don't seem the Madame Butterfly type."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She said acidly "You never stroked me as the type to get brainwashed either, but I guess there's a first for everything."

His eyes darkened. "Sharona, I…"

"Spare me, please. I know I was foolish to believe you were different from the others of the lot." She sneered.

"I couldn't stop it. All of my comrades were under the spell of Team America…"

"However, Asakura Yoh and his gang weren't. And you, being his cousin or whatsoever…"

"I didn't know what happened until it was broken. And even then…"

"Spare me! You may have not been able to control your actions, but you could've done better than to chase after me and Anna. But I guess you really wanted to get rid of me." Was she teary? No, she wasn't going to cry. _Stop flowing, stupid tears!_

"Is this what you thought it was? That I hated you so much that even subconsciously I looked for a way to kill you?" Silva shook his head "You have no idea what I felt when I woke up, found the village in ruins and you-gone! Can you imagine what happened to me when I talked to Anna and learned that you had decided to stay behind and take me on just to let her escape?! The only thing that stopped me from committing suicide was the thought that I needed to find you and apologize."

"Well then, apologize and throw yourself off the roof." Sharona said "Do you really think I can't tell pity from love?" _Please, don't let him see that I'm crying,_ she thought, _I can't allow him to give me hope again._

"Obviously, because I could've assumed you were dead and forgotten you just as easily." Silva growled, fists clenching. "I love you."

She shivered, and this time he saw it. Sharona tried to be defensive, to stop him, to protect herself…But she couldn't.

"Sharona?" he saw the weapon clatter on the ground and her body sway forward. The next thing he knew, he was holding her in his arms, kissing her fervently. Her weak arms clung onto him for dear life as she returned the kiss, and they both collapsed on the ground, exhausted of the running and hiding, finally found their sanctuary.

It was a good thing Paul's still young, Sharona thought later, at least he wouldn't ask how did his father suddenly burst into our lives.

* * *

A/N-I'm doing a school project. Can you help? Poll's on my profile page, please take a look at it.

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!**


	12. Always keep dreaming

**Not a new story-I was just performing a cleanup, that's the reason two chappies turned out of the blue. And this fic turns M for good this time

* * *

**

Always keep dreaming

Lilly was a good person-everybody told her that. Whenever kids started to fight over candies on Halloween, she would step in and solve the problem, preventing the fight. Sometimes she gave her sweets so that there would not be an argument. Who needs them anyway? She also stepped back in favor of her brother, letting him go to their father in England and get a better education, while she contented herself with the small school and nasty classmates. Her only fault, her old aunt said, was that she never backed out on a bet. And she couldn't stand losing.

Which was the reason why her friends never engaged her in a serious argument. Whenever Ellie or Millie said something stupid and Lilly made some witty remark, they would give up and say no more about it. Whenever Sharona and her disagreed on something, the leader preferred not to get too deep about it, and acknowledged Lilly the smarter. It gave the brainy girl a pretty bad sense of superiority, but she knew how to control herself most of the time.

Also, from this little fault came her high capability of holding her alcohol. Nobody who knew her dared challenge her on a drinking contest. And poor Horo…he didn't know her well enough.

* * *

Lilly politely suppressed a snort as she helped Ren pick the Ainu from the ground and carry him back to their lodgings. She wasn't even tipsy, even though she drank more than all the boys on that table. But then again, it was her fault for not stepping back when he started competing.

"So much for the smarter always knows when to back out." She thought as they entered their room. The dorm was dead, quiet. Everybody was out somewhere, for some reason.

Horo was beginning to feel sick. Lilly helped him vomit in the bathroom, and Ren watched them from the door, a grim look on his face. He sure wasn't enjoying the evening.

"Do you know what happened to Sharona?" he suddenly asked "She took off rather quickly."

"I wouldn't worry." Lilly smirked devilishly "She's a big girl, she knows how to take care of herself."

"I'm not worried." Ren stated, crossing his arms "But maybe Millie's all alone in your lodgings-shouldn't somebody stay with her? I mean…it didn't look like Ellie was going there."

"Sally's with Mil." Lilly glanced over his shoulder "That's why you were deprived of her company."

"Excuse me!" Ren flushed red "What are you implying?"

"Oh, keep your shorts up! I'm not that blind." Lilly snorted aloud "If you can't stand it without her so much, go to keep her company, you know where we live, don't you?"

"Now just…" he began, and then he revised his options. He could stay and watch Horo return his dinner, or he could get away until it was over. Not a very hard choice. "Fine, I'm going. Is there a message you'd like me to give to her?"

"Yeah, tell her that Ellie's not going to come back pretty soon."

The door shut and Lilly turned her attention to Horo. Boy, he was sick, wasn't he? And it was her fault, a small voice in her head reminded her. No choice then-she was going to nurse him until he was all better.

Lilly helped him wash his face and mouth, and then carried him to his room (after Ren trashed their previous lodgings they had moved into a bigger dorm with separate bedrooms). Lying him down, she stroked his hair and placed her cool palm on his forehead. His eyes were sleepy, but he wouldn't slumber-he was mumbling something under his nose and shifting absent-mindedly.

"Calm down." She said "Calm down, I'm here."

"That's exactly why I'm worried." He giggled sheepishly and made a clumsy attempt to sit up. In vain. Slowly, he pushed himself straight and looked at her, eyes sleepy and red. "So…we're alone now?"

"Yup."

"Ok then…let's play a game."

"Ok, how about…'sleeping'. It's a very easy one."

"No, no…" he waved his hand aimlessly "Let me just find the cards…So that we can play strip poker."

"I liked the other game better."

"What are you, chicken?" and without knowing it, he ticked her off again. Lilly looked at him menacingly over the frames of her glasses and grinned evilly.

"You sure you know the rules?" she asked when she grabbed the cards from his hands.

Pretty soon, it turned out that he really didn't know them. He tried, indeed, but his efforts were in vain. You just can't play poker when your eyes are shutting and your entire body is fallen into a drunken stupor. Lilly knew that this was wrong, he was drunk, he needed rest, and it was just a silly game, why not let it go? However, she came to those brilliant reflections only after Horo was left only in his boxers. Seeing the guy desperately holding on his last garment and staring at the cards in his hand with hope, she felt sorry for being so good in poker, but hey, he asked for it.

"Alright! This is it! I've got a Royal flash, baby! A straight one too!" Horo exclaimed and slammed the cards on the bed in front of her. Lilly was about to object and tell him that this was definitely not a royal flash, but then she remembered something her brother once told her. It was a little before the Lilly 5 ran off from their homes, and she had told him the kids were bullying her again.

"Lilly, you're a good girl." He said "You're smart and cute and people would love you if you just stopped being so proud."

Back then she told him that he didn't understand, but now that she looked upon his words she understood what he had meant. Not backing out when you face a challenge was worth praising, but others don't need to be reminded how great you are all the time. Sometimes, you spare them the boasting, smile and be contented with knowing who was the best.

Sometimes, you had to be generous.

"I lose." She sighed and put her cards in the deck, then removed the ever persisting sweater.

"Hey, this is a royal flash, baby." Horo frowned "Can't you do something better? Remove your bra? Give me a kiss?"

Lilly looked at him, and then leaned forward.

"What?"

"And why are you always wearing that sweater. It's summer. We're in the desert. I can't believe you haven't fried dressed like that."

"I'm just too cold-blooded." Lilly grinned evilly. Up close, her face really seemed pretty, Horo thought, before realizing that she was penetrating his personal space now. "What are you doing?"

"Sheesh, don't you even remember what you want?" she giggled, then pressed her lips to his.

Horo's bewilderment knew no limits-he said that he wanted a kiss, but he never thought that she'd actually do it. And some kiss it was-her lips moved, soft and warm, against his, as if this wasn't anything new. Overcoming the first state of shock, he quickly pulled himself straight and started to mimic her movements. Lilly's fingers crawled up down his chest, teasingly, then slipped on his back and held his shoulders closer to her. She bit his lower lip, then kissed it, as if she was apologizing. Horo couldn't understand how, but when simple actions started getting more intense, wild, he couldn't stop from responding.

All of his senses woke up with a start, causing him almost to leap up. The sleepiness was gone, his body instinctively came closer to her, looking for more, needing more. When he finally processed what was going on, he was already ravishing her mouth with his tongue, one of his hands was pulling her shoulder so that she would stay as she was, and the other was under that darn skirt of hers, caressing her outer tights. Horo tried to get a grip on himself, they shouldn't be doing that, they were drank…or he was at least….and who knew if they wouldn't regret this later.

But his feeble attempts to resist were pointless. Lilly didn't want this to stop either, and when her eyes shot open to meet his, they were filled with determination. Yes, he was drunk, but it was her fault and later he would definitely be troubled. She would make him feel better, Lilly decided. For once she would stop being selfish and make the people she loved happy.

Horo's senses started shutting off slowly, as he experienced something entirely different. He was feeling hot and stiffened, and there was a very painful throbbing in his groin, something very disturbing and natural at the same time. Lilly's hands started running down his body, until they fastened up with his boxers. Shit, it hurt. Why the hell was she torturing him like that. He groaned impatiently when she took him in her hand and rubbed his length. Who long was this going to take, he had the feeling that he would burst if it went any longer?

Of course he had absolutely no idea what to do, but at this point his body was acting on his own accord, without bothering to consult his brain. (And even if it did, on the door of Mr. Brain's office was an 'out of order' sign.) He assaulted her breasts through the shirt she was wearing, and his hands grabbed her legs. Horo was intending to speed up the process, but the alcohol in his blood, combined with the arousal and the raging hormones were making him extremely clumsy. When Lilly shook her shoes off herself, he realized he wouldn't be patient enough to deal with socks and stuff.

Lilly was feeling very uncomfortable herself-her body ached, her skin was on fire and she barely suppressed an urge to scream. However, being the more sober of the two, she had to keep control over herself and make sure they don't get something wrong. Horo couldn't take it anymore, she made him lie down on the bed and helped him with her underwear. He could barely see anything, but he felt that something was coming, and started breathing more evenly. Lilly straddled his legs and held onto the bed post. Her body stiffened and prepared itself.

Nothing from her previous life could prepare her for what was coming down. Pain, a hundred times more intense than anything she had felt before, or cared to remember in that time, pierced her and spread like waves through her body, making every limb and fiber of her stiffen and freeze. Lilly inhaled slowly, trying to suppress her tears. There was nothing to be sad about, she wanted this, and it was only natural, but dear God, she never thought it would hurt so much. Cursing herself for not taking it more slowly, she focused on relaxing her throbbing muscles and not let him see what was happening to her.

However, he felt it too. She made no noise, but he knew. And the realization sobered him up faster than any cold shower. Horo looked at the woman above him, who was bravely trying to keep her state hidden from him. In vain. Their eyes met, and unlike words, gazes couldn't lie.

"Is this…um…your first time?" he kicked himself about asking such a ridiculous question. Of course, she was on the verge of crying, what else could it be? Lilly's jaw couldn't work properly, maybe from pain, maybe from embarrassment, and she just nodded as she slid off him and rested carefully on the bed. Horo sat up, his arms going automatically on her shoulders to keep her feeble body from falling. She drew a sharp breath, a weaker wave of pain making her shiver as she tried adjusting her clothing to a semblance of decency. For the first time, she was really pissed her skirt was so short.

"Lilly, Lilly, look at me…" he called "Please Lilly, look at me..." he gently cupped her cheek and she met his worried eyes "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It…it doesn't matter." She shook her head "Really, you shouldn't be worried about it…"

"Yes, I should." His fingers ran down her pale cheeks "Lilly, how could you do something so reckless? It's dangerous, some women die from the loss of blood and…"

"That's happened only in fiction. And besides, if I died, it wouldn't be your fault."

"How can you say that?" This was surreal. He couldn't stop kicking himself for being such a twit. There she was practically giving herself to him, and he was rushing through the whole thing like some animal without any sense of tact or restraint. For God's sake, he hadn't even asked her-they just jumped each other. Where the hell was the romance?

"Listen, I'll be fine. You're not hurt, are you?"

"Lilly…" he laughed heartily "Lilly…you're the one hurt and you're asking me if I was in pain?! Oh God, you are unreal."

"I just wanted to help you." She said "You always seem so troubled and sad…and I am such a witch sometimes…I love you and I wanted to make you happy."

He smiled softly and turned her head so that she could face him.

"You know what your problem is? You're thinking too much."

Lilly laughed through tears.

"Oh boy, this is ridiculous. Do you realize we're leading a serious conversation in the middle of sex? This is like some sort of a philosophical book."

"I doubt the philosophers ever found themselves in a situation like this." Horo shook his head "At least the thought didn't occur into their minds."

"Well, they didn't consider women capable of reflections of such a serious nature." She smiled.

"Don't get on with this, I might lose my sanity." He leaned forward, his forehead touching hers "Listen, I want to make this clear, Lilly-I don't want you to do something as reckless as this again. Promise me, because otherwise I wouldn't sleep at night." She nodded "You're not any different that any other woman in this world. Know that! And no matter how practical and logical you are, always demand romance and dreams from life-it's your right. Got that?"

"How couldn't I?" they both laughed, then she ran her fingers through her disheveled hair and a sly grin popped on her face. "So…do you feel like picking up where we left off?"

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, slightly disturbed "What if I make things worse?"

"Trust me, from here on they can't get any worse." She smiled awkwardly, but she seemed pretty sure. Horo watched her carefully, then he nodded and leaned forward, kissing her softly on the lips. Then he took her glasses off, brushing her sides with the tips of his fingers, and removed the hairpins that held her locks up, so that they could cascade down her shoulders like an ebony waterfall.

Kissing, occasionally nipping her soft skin, he made his way down her neck. Lilly was beginning to feel better, her body reacting to his caresses with surprising power, making her skin a thousand times more sensitive than ever, and that made the clothes she was wearing feel rough and irritating. He undid the buttons of her shirt and helped her take off the bra she was wearing. Lilly felt his arousal very clearly, as her furoku mixed with his, but Horo was holding down, careful not to rush on things and hurt her.

Warm kisses, soft touch, endless caresses…she couldn't imagine how much gentler could he get. He was taking his time, treating her like a princess…Feeling better, she moved to straddle him once more, and despite his efforts, he involutedly thrust into her and she gasped:

"Sorry, I'm so sorry…" he began apologizing, but Lilly cut him off.

"I'm fine, it's not that bad anymore." Actually, she was beginning to enjoy this. Horo almost moaned when she tightened around him. From all the commotion he had forgotten where were they. Lilly tried to push him back on the mattress. "Lie down, it's easier this way."

"No." he counter-attacked and wrapped his arms around her. Supporting her neck and shoulders so that she could lie softly, he kissed her passionately and whispered: "Don't you dare think I'm letting you do all the work here."

"I thought guys didn't like this position."

"What are you, chicken?" she deliberately tightened the grip on his member, causing him to groan out.

"Watch your tongue." She laughed.

He thrust into her, first slowly, then he picked the right pace and watched her to make sure he was doing things right. She was lovely-her cheeks were glowing, and her amazing black eyes shining with joy.

Lilly never felt like this in her entire life. Whenever she felt good or happy, an unpleasant memory always spoiled the moment and made her gloomy and unhappy. And now…she couldn't think about anything but the way the pleasure build up in her, like pressure closed into a very small bottle. Her hips moved on their own accord, as their bodies met with equal ardor. It was like a storm-electricity and rain mixing in the air, raging upon the world to create a paradise with their destruction. And when they both reached a climax, they knew it was just like that.

* * *

When the morning sun peeked through the window, Lilly moved. A single warm ray had hit her cheek, and, sensitive as she was, caused her to twitch, mumble without content and finally, to wake up. Instantly, she saw that she wasn't in her room. Then she remembered what she had done last night and she carefully turned to see.

Horo was still sleeping, one of his hands resting over her waist, and the other supporting her head. Strange, when he wasn't acting so childishly, you could see how much he had grown, how much he had matured. Lilly remembered his touch, his caresses, the way he called her name, with so much affection, so much love…

What if he regretted it? The doubt made her shiver despite the little warmth, settled down in her chest. He sure was drunk last night, and when it was all over…Maybe he was just being nice to her, because she gave herself to him like that, and it had been all nice, but he didn't like such plain girls…Lilly wondered if she had had, after all, drank too much herself.

Either way, there was no point in doing nothing. Sharona wouldn't wake up until 10 o'clock, but if she didn't find them all in the lodgings, she would make such a big fuss…Seriously, that woman was like a mother-hen sometimes. She would probably cross the entire Patch on foot to find them, screaming in a loud voice about making her worry. Lilly's clothes were at an arm's reach, and if she kept to the small, narrow streets, she could go back in their dorm and slip into her bed, looking as if nothing had happened.

However, her attempt to move was killed almost instantly. Horo's hands, feeling the movement, instantly woke up and pulled her in his tight embrace, turning her into a human teddy-bear. He nuzzled her neck and mumbled something out.

"What?" she asked

"Don't you dare move around so early in the morning." His voice was horst, but he was surely awake. Horo opened one eye, then the other and smiled "Good morning."

"Good morning." She managed out, wondering why the hell was her vision so blurred? Then she gasped. "My glasses…where are they?"

"Relax. They're on the night stand." He watched as she made a grab for them and frowned "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"I am not…I was just…"

"Just leaving. Why?"

"I wasn't…the girls would be worried about me."

"Really? And what would they do? Run through the village calling you?"

"Something like that." She blushed.

"Stop being so worried, they're probably too busy themselves." He smirked, remembering the way Silva had ran after Sharona, and how Lilly got rid of Ren. "I'm sure they won't mind that you had one night to yourself."

"Well, I'm up anyway…what's the point of lying down?"

"Don't know. But it's a nice morning, we have no fights, where is the rush? The house isn't burning up." He yawned

"And what do you suggest we do now that we're both awake?"

"Go back to sleep? At least until noon. I'm not familiar with what you're supposed to do after a night like this, but I'm fairly certain that I am going to make you breakfast in bed. Plus, we need to talk."

Her body stiffened up, as if it was preparing to meet a blow. He didn't continue, he just watched her in the eye and drew circles on her white skin, occasionally kissing the places where his fingers had been.

"Well? What is it that we need to talk about?" she asked finally.

"I don't know if I met your expectations…" he started, as if he was uncertain about what to say "I'm not really accustomed to…being a good boyfriend. But I don't want this to end, Lilly. I…I need you…and I hope you'll give me a chance to make you happy."

She stared at him in disbelief. Was he joking?

"Say something…" he begged her "Cause when you're looking at me like that I have the feeling that you're about to sack me."

"No, it's not that...I just don't understand why are you asking someone like me. I'm so foolish…"

"Is there any other objection I need to depose before I start talking?" he whispered softly and kissed her lips.

"…and so plain…"

"Anything else?" he asked, their bodies inches away.

"For the moment I can't remember anything else, but these top the list."

"Ok then. You're the smartest person I know…and you're gorgeous. And if that's the only thing that makes you think you don't deserve some joy in your life then you'd be really silly."

"You really want this?" she asked

"I do. With all my heart…I love you."

Lilly closed her eyes, and counted slowly. Then she grabbed him and kissed him senseless.

* * *


	13. The story I will never write

**

* * *

**

The story I'll never write

He and placed himself in front of the small laptop and cracked his fingers. On the desk, there was a cup of freshly made coffee, and some sheets of paper, containing his latest plans on the project. Ren Tao was, as they said, ready for action.

The slender young man opened the document and wrote a few lines. Then he stopped, read them all over, fixed some mistakes and started writing again. And he wrote…and he wrote…and he wrote until there was a knock on the door.

Irritated that his working process was being disturbed, he got up with the intention of taking care of whoever dared come to him, so he could go back to his project. However, the unhappy frown on his face was erased immediately when he saw who was at the door.

Sally smiled at him:

"Yo, what's up? Ready to go?"

Ren seemed pretty clueless about what was happening, until he remembered. A blush appeared on his face as he realized what he had done.

"Oh, right…I was just…getting ready…"

"You forgot." Sally stated, but laughed out "Don't look so mortified, I understand. Are you working on your book?"

"Yeah, I was just...getting started. We can go, let me just grab my jacket."

"Layer. You've been on this for a while, there's coffee on your mouth." She said and invited herself in "It's no problem, I'll leave you alone, but can I have a glass of water? It's really hot outside."

"No, no, I promised, didn't I?"

"Nah, forget about it. If you're so uneasy about it we can have dinner here or I can wait until you finish."

"Are you sure?" Ren asked. He had promised her to leave everything off and spend the day with her, but the ideas were buzzing into his head and they wouldn't leave him at peace. Luckily Sally solved the problem by removing her shoes and making her way in the kitchen.

* * *

Ren went to the computer and started typing in top speed, hoping that he'd finish fater, but he was always messing up. Sally told him to relax and in 15 minutes brought him some freshly made noodles. He took a break and they ate, enjoying the view he had from the 19th floor of the accommodation.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'll definitely make this up to you."

"We are having dinner, right? It's not such a big deal."

Oh, yes it was. Ren had promised that he's take her out on a real date. They were a couple, and even though they had been hiding their relationship, the times when they saw each other were just…not what you'd call a real date. They went for a few fights in some dojo, sometimes they ate in some small Chinese restaurant, and they hid under the trees in the park to make out, but….

Something was missing.

Sally went to wash the dishes and then placed herself on a chair behind him with a cup of tea, watching him type. He was obviously really into it, so she decided not to disturb him and just contemplated the way his hands moved swiftly, the way his eyes sparkled…

He was working and night fell unnoticed. At first the light faded away ever so slowly, then the street lamps lit up, the moon rose and the stars shun. It seemed like a beautiful night and the only time Sally left her chair was to move closer to the window and watch. Ren for once didn't notice his favorite stars….maybe because right now he was doing something really important for him.

Reaching for the stars…right? He had told her that he began watching them ever since he was little. Whenever training was too much for him, he would just look up and dream for the day it would end. He thought at first that it would end when he became Shaman King, so he fiercely lunged at his goal, determined to wipe off anything that stood in his way…or die trying.

But it did not end in either way and now he was free from all his duties as a shaman. Now he was doing what he liked-that was writing a book. Sally never got to look in it, but he told her once it would be about the tournament, and the way he saw it. A fantastic story nobody would believe was going to be transformed into a fantasy novel. What better way to show the world what the truth was?

Sally was happy for him. Doing what he wanted, living alone, being free….it was something she never really had. She always had to cooperate with someone, she was dependant on her friends…sometimes she was afraid that she would drown if she let go of everything. Ren wasn't like that. Freedom was what he always wished, and now that he had it, it was just perfect.

She looked out the window again-the night was beautiful. On the street, people were nothing more than small, black dots. It would be irrelevant to call them ants as they were not working. They were just strolling there, with no particular reason. Ants don't do that. No animal except the man does. Because every movement was a waste of precious energy, every move could bring you closer to death, unless it's a move that helps your survival. Birds fly to gather food, not to enjoy the view. Ants work tirelessly to live through. But humans had this huge rage of opportunities, they could afford to be careless, they could afford to waste their time.

Some of the dots were paired up. Couples. Maybe the most careless of all people were the people in love. And since the more careless you are the more human you are, once Sally hoped to be one of them. A dot in a pool of dots, glued to another dot, terribly oblivious to everything around her and so totally normal.

That was the thing, wasn't it? Normal. People knew she was different before they ever spoke to her, before they ever knew she existed. What was it that made them turn their backs on her without giving her the slightest chance? She suffered from it, there was no doubt.

Now she just didn't care. It didn't bother her that the only family she had was her friends. Friends that had their own lives, friends that needed lives. She didn't care if her boyfriend wanted to keep their relationship a secret and forgot about dates, at least he was nothing but honest and apologized.

Sally liked it that way anyway-who said dinners in French restaurants were absolutely necessary to actually go out with somebody?

With a small smile she watched him type and knelt on the ground, Japanese style. It was more comfortable than the chair.

* * *

Ren turned his eyes to the clock, realizing how late it was. There was no sound in the apartment, Sally must've gone back to the dorm where she lived. Ren was about to curse himself for being so careless, when he turned and saw her asleep on the floor.

He smiled and got up to get a futon. He put her in it (thank goodness he was now taller and heavier than her), tucked the blankets around her body and went back to work.

But it was like everything was drained from his head. He stared at the sentence without seeing it and sighed.

He honestly wanted to make it a real date. They were…well, together for seven years now. And where were they? Just fighting in the gym and kissing in the park wasn't dating. Ellie and Ryo had a relationship that lasted a month, a relationship that gave birth to a lovely daughter whose existence he didn't suspect until they walked into each other, and now they were married. Horo and Lilly started officially dating three months ago and they were already thinking about moving in together.

Where was his relationship with Sally? It was going with the speed of an average tortoise and until recently, he never thought about changing it. He loved the times they spent together, no matter how simple it was. Fighting, eating out, just talking…he felt great. But…shouldn't they be aiming for something more?

It was his fault anyways, he asked her to keep it a secret. He just...he didn't want his friends to question him, he didn't owe them an explanation but he didn't want them to be so….aware of his personal life. Being the shy person he was, he just never felt Ok with that. And Sally…

Ok, what was he supposed to do? Propose to her? And what would his family say? More importantly what would Sally say? He didn't give a damn about his father's opinion; he was quite capable of supporting himself. But Sally? Did she want this to go on? Sure, they were having a good time together, but could they possibly go through everything and take this relationship to the next level?

And still they had this….thing for seven years without attempting to break it. What could it be?

Sally moved a little and woke up. It was dark outside, but Ren was still working.

"How long did I sleep?" she asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Hm…oh, I…don't know." Ren said.

"It shouldn't have been long; you were doing that page last time I checked." She got up to have a better look at the clock. "Oh, boy, I am so late."

"You're worried Sharona's going to look for you?"

"No, she's too busy worrying about what Horo and Lilly are doing on their dates to bother."

"It's too late, you can stay here." Ren said "I don't think she'll mind."

"She might not mind but she might get suspicious. We still don't want her to find out, right?" She wrapped her hands abound his neck from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Looks good."

"Yeah." Ren nodded, wondering if she noticed that her breasts were pressing very tightly against his back. He turned his head to look at her and thought she never looked as good. Maybe it was because her features had finally began to soften up, maybe it was because he knew that face so well he could see all it's beauty without looking for it. He shifted a little so he could look her in the eyes and then kissed her-first slowly, lightly, and then pulled closer, deeper, until they were so tightly pressed against each other that they couldn't breathe. Ren got up, knowing that she couldn't maintain that position for too long, but they slipped and fell on the floor, much to their surprise without hurting each other.

They kissed some more and suddenly they found out that they couldn't stop…or that they actually wanted to. His hands were pressed behind her back, but he wanted more, he needed more. Hesitatingly, one of them rested on the top button of her shirt. She nodded with a small grin on her face, and he began taking off the garment very carefully, as if he might hurt her if her did something wrong.

And of all times, the phone rang.

Ren, who was too busy nuzzling the column of Sally's neck growled angrily.

"Let it ring, damn it!"

Sally just shook her head-even though it was preposterously late, something might have happened and his relatives in China had little account of the time in Japan. She reached out and gave him the phone.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, sorry, Ren." His sister Jun's voice sounded on the other side of the line. "I forgot about it, you must've been sleeping. Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, forget about that." Ren sighed and sat up. "What happened? Is anything the matter?"

"Well…no, it's just…it's Pyron."

"Oh? What about him? Are you two all right?" Ren asked while he watched Sally get up and adjust her clothes. The moment had definitely passed.

"He's just…a little unreasonable. I…I want him to be honest with me but he just wouldn't."

Ren sighed-he was trying to get somewhere with his girlfriend and his sister called to brief him on the big, stupid soap opera that was her relationship with Pyron.

"Did he offend you in some way?"

"No."

"Pass him on."

"Wha…"

"Just do it! Pyron, yeah, it's me. Listen, you know very well what I think about this relationship you and Jun are having. She wants you to tell her the truth, so have this in mind-even though I think my sister deserves a lot better than you I still didn't turn you into sashimi because I know that she deserves at least what she wants…Yes, I know." Ren paused, before saying "Good luck."

He hung up and turned around to see Sally putting on her shoes.

"You sure you want to go?" he asked

"Yeah, it's late and we both need some rest." She said.

"I see. Let me get a jacket and I'll walk you to the dorm."

"No, I'll be fine."

"I won't be calm, knowing you're wandering all alone out there."

"Oh, stop it." Sally laughed "What can possibly happen? I'm a fighter, remember?"

She stopped at the door.

"I'll…se you around." She mumbled before dashing out of the door. Ren just stood there.

"Bye…" he said.

* * *

He tried writing, but nothing came to him. Then he heard Bason calling him from somewhere. Ren got up and ran to his guardian ghost, who was looking at the door. Ren opened it to find Sally standing there, gasping for air. One of her hands was pressed against her chest and some blood was dripping between her tightly squeezed fingers.

"Oh my God, SALLY!" Ren was terrified, he immediately grabbed her through the shoulders and carried her inside, resting her on the futon he hadn't still gathered. He removed her shirt and undergarments to find a deep cut going right through her chest as if somebody tried slashing through her with a scythe. Ren acted quickly and bandaged the wound up before it got infected. Then he went to get her a clean robe and made some tea.

She had fainted, so he stayed by her side the whole time, making sure she was comfortable and kept track of her liquids. She was dehydrated and tired-as if she rand from somebody.

When she finally opened her eyes she looked surprised to find Ren by her side. Then she remembered.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked "Is there anything I can get you?"

"I'm fine; you don't have to worry about me so much."

"Don't say that. You better tell me who did this to you."

"I'm Ok. You should've seen the other guy." She smiled with a tired look on her face.

"Who was it?"

"The policeman got him." She said "I gave them enough to worry about. Maybe the doctors might re-attach his balls by the morning, but I seriously doubt it."

"If they do, I promise I'll go there and castrate him myself." Ren grunted out. How dare he? Ren never felt such rage over him, he was so…angry. And she was just so calm.

She had come to him when she needed aid. Not to some cop or doctor, but to him. She trusted him with her life.

And he loved her. It just hit him. He loved her. It was as simple as that.

In his book, he wrote about everything-teams, competition, cheating. The only story he couldn't write was his own. And now he knew why. Because it was incomplete.

He bent down and kissed her again. She was startled, as she didn't expect him to do such a thing. Then he wrapped his arms around her-they held onto each other so tightly as if the world would end. Sally finally gave out and began shaking violently-Ren realized that she had been just as scared as he was.

He was surprised she still had enough strength to make him lie down beside her. His movements became more confident, but he didn't let her get hurt. It wasn't the time for love, even though he never wanted anything more in his life, but he could definitely comfort her.

One of his hands accidentally brushed off one of the sleeves of her robe and he quickly tried to fix it. However Sally just held his hand and placed it on the spot where her skin was exposed, right above her left breast. Ren could almost feel her steady heartbeat, and the smile in her eyes was telling him that this heart sang because he was there.

It wasn't just lust or a simple, childish attraction. It was something much more powerful, and that was love.

It wasn't just sex-that night he made love to her as if their entire existence had but one purpose-for them to meet, for them to be there, together. It was just him, her, and the fading light of the moon that was giving way to the sunrise.

A new day began…like a phoenix that rises from its ashes to day rose from the night.

And they were going to stand up, reborn, to face it together.

* * *


	14. Vampire Tales part 1

**Yeah, I'm writing a sort of sequel to the vampire fic series here. I dunno if I'll continue with these, so I expect you guys to tell me (do tell me, tell me all). For those of you who don't have an idea what the hell am I talking about-the fics and their reading order can be accessed through my profile. Short story-the Lilly 5 are actually vampires whose ages vary between 60 years and ceveral centuries. They don't drain people dry of their blood, but sex is a must, as well as certain...qualities. Sally tricks Ren to roll in the hay with her in the fourth fic, Challenge, without telling him about the whole bloodsucker thing. This story happens a little after the tournament's over. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You used me!" Most women got upset when they got that line, especially when the person saying it was somebody they valued. Especially when it was said after sex. Especially when it was totally and absolutely justified.

Sally, however, barely gave the annoyed shaman a roll of her eyes before she snorted and rolled over so that she could lie on her stomach (a preferred sleeping position, since you didn't show any valuable organs to the enemy).

"Did you hear me?" Ren growled once again, his hands balling into fists and shaking uncontrollably. A little more and he would surely blow up. Sally was, however, perfectly nonchalant in the face of danger and eyed him calmly.

"A little too clearly. Maybe you should lower your voice, huh?"

"Don't tell me what to do!" He hissed, before glaring at her "You used me, Sally. Who paid you?"

"To do what?"

"To incapacitate me for the fights, that's what. Don't play dumb! You drank my blood and made me weak for my fight with Yoh for the crown. Did Anna tell you to do that?"

"You're irrational." Sally huffed

"Did she?!" He screamed, this time making her wince "Don't toy with me, Sally, of course you did what you did and somebody told you to do it! Thanks to you, I did not become Shaman King! Don't you dare look at me in the face and lie!"

She wasn't even listening…Well, alright, she may have been listening, but she was busier debating on how to react. It was true, she had never really considered what to do at this point. Overall, she never really expected to breach the "no hunting in Patch" rule-other than Sharona, she was the oldest of the group and she had certainly had to deal with abstinence more than the others. But when the first three had broken it, there seemed to be little point in keeping it herself, and she'd decided to go about it like any other meal-drink in moderation, enjoy the sex, hope that he doesn't notice. Even if he did, would it really matter so much to him? Given his reaction, he seemed more upset because of his presumed loss in the Shaman tournament than anything having to do with her being a vampire.

Would it be better to just brush him off and ignore his comments?

Naaaah…

"You're a fool if you think that only drinking your blood would make you lose against Yoh." Sally replied coldly, standing up in bed, not bothering to cover herself up. Ren flinched, trying to look at her in the face with the full face with his fury

"So what are you trying to say? That you didn't help him to win."

"Sure. If you think a vampire feeding on you was enough to render you unable to fight Yoh, then you weren't fit to be Shaman King anyway." She confirmed, swinging her legs off the bed and standing, before picking up her clothes and starting to put them on one by one. "Just because I chose you should mean that you are strong. Not anyone can stand getting fed upon on a regular basis and still be able to perform…other activities."

"You're despicable!" he hissed

"Oh, really?" she snorted, slipping her shirt over her head "And yet you were so set upon winning that you now blame it on anyone who's available. If it was just the sex, you would've still said it was distracting you, right? It's because you can't accept the truth that you're snapping at people."

"You….you…" Ren's body was shaking with fury and he did the first thing that came to his mind-he threw a punch, straight at her face. Sally didn't move to greet it, or dodge it-his fist connected with her cheek and sent her head aside, but when he pulled away it was obvious she had done that for his benefit rather than her own. He looked at his hand, startled-the knuckles were bleeding severely and hurt like hell, as if he'd spend the last few hours punching a stone wall. On her part she barely had a reddening on her face to account for that. Her eyes narrowed with annoyance, much like the ones of an older sister that has to chastise her little brother when he does something naughty.

"Me…me…what? Bitch? Whore? Vampire?" her voice was mocking, but there was rage seeping behind it "If it were anyone else, they would be dead by now. I wouldn't have to do anything-they'd break their own arms to smithereens and then bleed to death."

"So what?" he growled, not cradling his injured limb but glaring at her with all the malice he could muster "You're trying to tell me that I'm different? That I'm not just a meal for a leech like you?"

"No, I don't think so." She replied, disgust written all over her features as her boots came in place and she walked past him towards the door "You're hardly worth being called a snack either." With that, she left, leaving him to growl and punch furniture into dust.

* * *

Sally didn't go back home immediately, knowing that one or other of her teammates would be with their men there, satisfying their…ahem…cravings. She snorted with contempt as she made her way out of the village, past the woods, and into the desert. How truly pathetic. They were vampires, goddamn it, not some petty little humans who let their feelings get the most of them. They were designed to walk alone, to find a niche for themselves, keep together until the world comes to an end and they are promptly sent to Hell for so callously giving up their immortal souls for more time in this petty little world. They did not need to strike_ relationships_ with humans, creatures so fragile they looked like flies compared to them.

And yet here they were, all her friends, succumbing to this disgusting love spell. All of them, that little group of vampires that had dismissed the idea of romance simply because it was impossible for them to find anyone who could love them were falling down, hit by the promise of rose petals and all that shit. Even Lilly, who got off at the idea of toying with humans, was beginning to…ugh…enjoy her activities. Sally could understand Ellie and Millie, since they were both under a century old, but Sharona? How could she be so relaxed, getting screwed regularly by Pino? They weren't even bothering to hide it now, much to Zoria and Tona's chagrin, who probably thought their leader was going batshit crazy.

She sped up her pace, almost to a run now. The wind wailed in her ears as she got further and further from the village, her face becoming rigid with the effort to say indifferent. It was true, she didn't care what he thought. Obviously, Ren wasn't going to tell anyone about her secret, if not out of a sort of respect for her (yeah, right), his pride wouldn't allow him to expose himself as a victim…anywhere. Sally skidded to a halt and smiled softly-proud, strong…if only she could have him with her for a little longer. But no-even without turning him into a vampire, things would be horrid. The feeling of jealousy was not foreign to her and she was well aware that even when they parted ways, she'd be partial to Ren…

No, it was not love she felt. As much as she wished it would be, for it would've at least been less confusing, it wasn't. There was disappointment, of course, and bitterness, and she couldn't help but feel sick at the prospect that another woman could get what she had gotten out of him. It was this annoying possessiveness that made her feel so out of sorts. She knew she had to move on, perhaps on her own, before Ren got over his anger and started moving on with his life. To just imagine him with another woman made her want to kill that hussy, tear her apart, limb from limb and make her watch as she devoured her. Blach!

She spat, before resting her head on a nearby boulder. Stupid. The only reason she went to him was because he was strong. Once his emotions started getting the better of him, his blood would turn useless. There was no point…no point.

Her sensitive nose picked up the subtle scents of the night, and she frowned. Looking around, she assessed that she was very far from the village, but the smell of human blood was there. And it was strong. Carefully, she began walking towards it, soon coming across a car that was pretty much wrapped around a pole. Inside, she found the source of the smell was a young woman, whose throat was bleeding severely. Next to her lay a young man, pale as death. A quick assessment told her that he was too far off to be saved, so instead she hurried over to the girl's side. With a little pull, she tore the door off as if it was made out of paper and pulled the limp body out. Her neck was severely damaged and Sally had to stop breathing before she was tempted to just drain the poor child. However, something was wrong.

The pole that the car had hit was shaking furiously, threatening to fall. At first she though it was because she tore at the door so violently, but when she looked at the humans again, something inside of her stirred. Taking a dangerous move, she bent down to look at the boy again and flinched-his neck was not simply torn open, it was absolutely ripped off. Hissing, Sally looked down at the girl in her arms, and then around the desert. There was nobody in sight, but she didn't know whether it was safe of not. It looked like there was nobody there, but…

She couldn't risk anything. Knowing that the girl had a limited time to live, Sally quickly tore off one of her sleeves to make a makeshift bandage for her neck. Then, without even leaving her on the ground, she walked around to the pole and kicked it so hard it fell on the car. Perhaps she should've gotten the boy to the driver's seat, but it was too late for that. Sally glanced around to make sure everything was fine before breaking off into a run.

Once in Patch, she quickly brought the girl to the hospital, treated her wounds and wired her to an IV. She didn't even need to look at her passport, she knew her blood type just by smelling her. Sally, in spite of her tendencies towards brutality, knew her way around hospitals and worked quickly and efficiently. She even managed to scribbled down a note for the nurse to see before taking off towards the crash site again.

It was nearing dawn when she reached the car and it took all she got not to growl in frustration. The pole was now thrown aside, as if nothing happened, and the car was empty. Sally bent down and sniffed at it, only to come across…nothing. There was not even a trace of blood inside, even though the stench had nearly made her deranged an hour ago. Sally sniffed the air again, growling aloud this time. Stupid. In her haste to get the girl to safety she'd left a trail for other vampires to follow. She glanced around-the dawn was setting and there wasn't another living soul, human or vampire around. She wondered if they were watching her now, or just buying their time. Deciding that it was high time she did something useful, Sally grabbed the car, lifted it over her head and flung it as far away into the desert was it would go, before proceeding to break the pole into salt. She hoped that it would convey the right message to those vampires. To move on their own way and stay away from her hunting ground. However, as she was heading back, she could swear she heard a melodious chuckle being carried in the wind.

* * *

**There will be a part two only if you request for it, bitches. So to put it bluntly: REVIEW!**


	15. Vampire Tales part 2

Sharona danced happily into the kitchen, all birds and flowers dangling around her head, adorning her hair like a sort of wreath. However, all the hearts, flowers, and love for humanity died as soon as they came into contact with the gloomy atmosphere that seemed to seethe off Sally. The blonde was about to launch into some sweet payback by asking her if she wasn't getting any lately, but realized that it would be a bad idea…especially when Sally was sharpening a wooden stake in her hand.

"So…" she began casually "You finally decided to kill us in our sleep, huh? Would you mind waiting for my birthday, though, I really, really want to have a full lifespan on my tombstone."

"Get real. This isn't for you." The redhead snapped, leaving the knife to examine the stake carefully, even testing it with her finger

"Who is it for then? Ren? He didn't get it up?" Sharona laughed

"There was a car crash in the desert last night."

"So?"

"How many cars crash on a dry, straight road?" Sally huffed "A girl and a guy, he was drained clean, she was a mess."

Sharona stiffened. The next sentence that came out of her mouth was dead serious: "Are you sure they were vampires?"

"When I came back to the crash site, the boy's body was gone. And I had knocked a pole over the car for good measure." Sally wrinkled her nose "I should've torn his head off to make sure he didn't come back, but I didn't think there was any blood left in his body. Whoever took them out was looking for a snack, but apparently they decided that turning them would be better. We have until sunset or tomorrow at most until he comes back as a newborn and then we'll be in trouble."

"I'd say." Sharone huffed "You say you came back?"

"The girl still had life in her. I decided to take her to Patch, but I foolishly assumed that the vampire had carried on his way. We can only hope that the King of Spirits will stop him from penetrating the village."

"Even if he does, they can hide in the desert and still cause a lot of trouble." Sharona groaned "Why didn't you look?"

"I was pissed and I wanted to save her life." Sally snapped "I swear, I thought he had moved on. And no, we can't negotiate. The girl's throat was savaged-he's a beast. If we don't take him out, he'll attack the village, and it's likely that half of them will rise as newborns."

"We?"

"Well, I plan to intercept him, but if you wanna come with me, I won't stop you." Sally batted her eyelashes playfully at her

"I don't mind, but the girls?" Sharona asked, looking upstairs "Ellie and Millie won't want to leave the boys' sides, and even Lilly won't be a match for him if he's older than her."

"Two people were nearly killed, and one of them is definitely coming back as a newborn-it's likely that there are more."

"Lovely." Sharona mumbled, running a hand through her hair "What will you do?"

"Find him and rip him apart limb from limb." Sally bared her fangs angrily "He's trespassing on OUR turf. He knows what's coming for him."

"It's very likely he doesn't care. It's likelier that he's strong. It's almost certain that he knows that, or he thinks he knows that…" she sighed "You'll be in trouble."

Sally gave her a weird look, and then dropped the stake. Her eyes were wistful, angry…exhausted. She seemed resigned. "The human I was feeding on figured things out." Sharona stared at her, cocking an eyebrow. Her friend continued "I'm sure he won't tell, but I can't find another substitute in the village. I might have to feed on animals until we have to move, but if that fucker incapacitates me, I probably will have to stay still in my room until I gather myself up."

"That is, if he doesn't kill you first." Sally gulped too loudly, humanly loud, and Sharona frowned "Why couldn't you just tell him you loved him?"

"I don't love him."

"Sure, you just want his blood."

"That's how it's supposed to be, remember?" the redhead stood up "We're vampires, Sharona. Humans will fane while we remain forever young, feeding upon them like cattle, regardless of their wishes. We can't change that-we can only respect their desires for as much as we can. I know as much-you taught me that."

"You haven't been around as much as I have, my dear." Sharona purred, straightening up "When you predate events of which even history has no certain account for, you learn that events repeat themselves. And if two people are meant to be together, they will come together. What you experience now is what I've been experiencing for several lifetimes. If he comes to accept that, it'll be alright."

"Please don't start with your Zen learning now." She shook her head "I'm not doing this because my heart is broken, anyway. This village is under our…under my protection. Whether he likes it or not…" her nostrils flared slightly "I singled him out. I'm not letting him be killed so easily."

"I don't think anyone will." Sharona stood up "I'll go find the girls and brief them on the situation. They'll probably hang out with the guys and make sure they're not out after midnight. That's when he'd start, right?" she winked knowingly and in the next moment was out of the kitchen.

* * *

The body next to her was so warm she thought she would melt, but she had no problem with that. They had barely collapsed on the mat less than a minute ago and she was ready for another round, in both senses. However, she wouldn't let the thirst get the best of her, Ellie decided, so instead she settled on kissing an icy-hot trail up his shoulder and neck until she was nibbling at his ear.

"Stop that." Ryu laughed, squeezing her closer "I also want more of that, but you have to give me some time to recuperate."

"Oh, I'll make you recuperate." She chuckled, moving to duck her head under the covers, only to be pulled toughly back on top of him and being kissed senseless

"Behave, woman." he rumbled "You don't want someone to throw their back, right?"

"Please." Ellie rolled her eyes "Anna was enough of a bitch to monopolize you guys during the tournament. Since nobody gives a shit how bruised you are anymore, you've no reason to hold back on me." He attempted to give her a stern look, but she batted it away with a dazzling smile "Come ooooon, a little more and I'll be walking around like a retarded penguin-you can't complain."

"Who says I'm complaining, Ellie. Just give me another minute and I'll be fine."

"RYU!" the veritable dragon of the house roared at the door "RYU, you bastard, it's Wednesday. Get yourselves dressed up and come downstairs to cook dinner, and tell Ellie that if she's not decent in two minutes she'll be missing a couple of limbs." Both winced, before reluctantly untangling themselves from the sheets

"What a spoilsport!" Ellie exclaimed as she searched under the bed for her panties. Ryu, already used to her impatience with clothing, went to find a new shirt in his closet.

"Ah, well, you can't expect her to be that patient with us. She and Dana are still to be crowned and can't enjoy our favorite past-time." He winked at her "Don't worry, once I'm through cooking we can take a walk outside and you can show me exactly where in the woods did you find that nice, isolated clearing."

"Aaaaah, that…" Ellie grinned goofily, before scratching her head "Look, Ryu, I should've told you that earlier, but we were so into it I decided to let it wait…" he turned around to look at her, curious "Look, this may be a strange request, but can you please not leave the house after midnight? Or dusk, if possible?"

"Umm…I don't see how that would be a problem." He mumbled

"And…can you please not invite strangers in the house. And tell Anna not to either." She asked again, looking strangely serious. Ryu studied her for a while, before coming to sit with her in bed. He kissed her and hugged her, but he still had to ask.

"Ellie, you know I'll try to do as you ask, but I can't tell Anna-sama what to do. Besides, she is going to be the Queen. It's customary for strangers to come into the house. Sure, when she and Dana move out it'll be different, but for now…"

"Look, Ryu, just…I don't know how to tell you…just…can you just try and not…invite anyone looking too suspicious in? Somebody who insists on being invited, per instance. If they insist on that, don't tell them to come in, please."

"Ellie, what are you talking about?" he asked, before the light bulb went on in his head "Is there another vampire in the village?"

"I don't know. Sally said she came across a very suspicious car crash last night and…she said that there might be others out there."

"Well, why are you so worried?" he asked, cheerfully, kissing her like a child "Shouldn't you guys be happy to see more of your kind? Maybe you could socialize a little."

"You don't get it." Ellie pulled away, shaking her head slightly "Vampires cannot share the same hunting ground, not for long anyway. Once somebody is turned, they stay with the one who turned them for a while, but as soon as they become fully aware of themselves, they break free. Sharona and the others…we're probably the biggest group there is around here, and if more vampires crash in on Patch, we're very likely to grab each other by the throats. I don't think that we'll be able to restrain ourselves."

"You can do it." he smiled optimistically "You're strong, Ellie, I know you are."

"Please, Ryu, this is important." She shook her head with desperation "If we fight, we'll be very likely to blow our cover, and if we blow our cover, chances are that we might not be able to stay here."

"Can't you just let them blow over?" he asked, slightly worried "Or negotiate something?"

"Like what? You take one half and leave the other one be? You know this won't work, Ryu. Vampires can't come out into the light as much as you can't have people die here. And there will be deaths-those guys are wild. Sally said one of the passengers in that car was killed and another one was on the brick of death. She risked having him wake up as she took the survivor to a hospital, but she may have led them to the village. Please, those guys are savages-you cannot reason with them."

"I'm not as weak as you take me for." Ryu replied, patting her head playfully and helping her up. He took both her hands and kissed them "But for your sake, Eleanor Rose, I'll be careful. Happy?"

"Marginally." She pouted

"Come on." He laughed, leading her down the stairs "I'm one of the Legendary Warriors, I can defend myself."

"I just wish you took me seriously." She pouted as they entered the living room where Yoh, Lyserg, Anna, Faust, as well as team The Ren were sitting around a game of scrabble.

"Took you long enough." Anna murmured

"Sorry, I'll get on dinner. Ellie, why don't you help out Lyserg-chan with his game while I cook?" he asked, kissing her neck affectionately

"Yuck!" Horo grimaced "Can't you two go easy on the PDA? There are people in the room!" The two chuckled and Ellie whispered something that sounded a lot like a 'silly virgin', before plopping herself down on a pillow on the floor.

"Where are the other four fifths of the lot?" Ren snapped tartly, glaring at Ellie with distaste "I thought you guys were always together."

"Lilly and Millie decided to go out shopping, and Sally and Sharona are on a girl's only night out, cute stuff." Ellie winked "Don't worry, my preferences for company are not so specific."

Ren suddenly became on edge, and after a while left his tiles in favor of pacing around the room, while the others played along.

To say that he was pissed would be the understatement of the year. Not just because he'd been used like a doggie bag, but also because the others, who were undoubtedly used likewise, were so damn smug about it. Ryu and Ellie were just plain disgusting-the guy was so happy he was getting laid he didn't understand he was being drained like a water pitcher. Sharona was hanging quite a lot with Pino, so she was obviously using him, and as for Lilly…well, he always had a creepy feeling about that girl. He couldn't trust her.

The shaman glanced over at Lyserg, who was happily looking at his tiles. He and Millie had gotten real good friends over time, but whether or not she was on the same…ahem…diet as the others still stood. Ren couldn't figure out why a child like her would hang around dangerous vampires like them, but if she was one too, then Lyserg was in trouble. He couldn't tell how much he knew, or whether or not Millie was onto him, but if they were having sex, they were being terribly discreet about it.

How could they do that? Relinquish their pride for such ephemerae pleasures…he was sure they knew what was going on and yet they let them use them. For what? His mind could not comprehend why, but his body, already registering the loss of her body, was giving him a very clear message. It wanted her, in spite of how bad she was for him. His nostrils flared angrily and he glared at Ellie again-he really hated them. All of them. Stupid women. There was no way he would give in, ever.

Just then, a knock resonated through the house. Everybody glanced at the door. "Somebody see who it is!" Anna snapped, too absorbed in the game. Before anyone could do anything, Ellie was on her feet and walking towards the door, her back straight and her posture suddenly tense. When she passed Ren he was surprised to see that her customary smirk was gone. Ryu appeared in the hallway, looking as if he was heading for the kitchen, but he lingered next to Ren, as if waiting to see who it was. Ellie glared at them, but didn't say anything as she reached for the handle.

The moment the door opened, Ren knew that they were all screwed.

* * *

Sally simmered out of her shoes and stretched, glancing back at Sharona, Lilly and Millie who had come to the edge of the village with her: "I don't need back up, you dopes."

"Sure you don't." Sharona rolled her eyes "Just pick someone, Sally. You need a representative of your coven, you know."

"It's your coven, you bitch, and if you don't stop annoying me I'll rip your head off."

"Touchy, are we?" Sharona tsked and glanced between Millie and Lilly "Well, I suppose the two strongest shouldn't go, so Lilly would be a good choice. Millie and I'll take the woods and…"

"Shut it!"

"I thought you said you were my coven. If that is so, I'm calling the shots." The blonde raised a perfect eyebrow "I believe, Sally, that I can stop you from going, too, but since you drove them here, you should take care of it. Now stop snapping at people and calm down-they'll know you're going to try to fight. Don't give yourself away, you're much too valuable." Sharona smiled, before taking Millie by the hand "Let's get going, dear. I think I smelt a newborn somewhere."

Sally glared at Lilly, before looking at the desert again, taking a deep breath. "You won't let them know you're there, understood?"

"But of course." The brainy girl smiled, before slowly undoing the buttons of her shirt.

* * *

Ren knew the man was a vampire before he even caught sight of the long canines, hell, before he even spoke. Strangers were a usual sight at Yoh's doorstep, but this one was just…too unusual to have been missed. Now that he knew that Sally and the other Ly's were vampires, Ren had come to think that they were somehow special. He didn't know how, but he supposed they had some mojo.

Now, though, he decided that it was because they were terribly, awfully, unnaturally attractive. Ellie had enough of a sex appeal that could make a man nervous by just sitting down, and Sally…no, he didn't want to think about Sally. The guy at the door…he was definitely…something. Not that Ren would know, but he could guess that the guy was sex on legs. Tall, much taller than Ellie, green eyes and curly hair, he would probably make Anna uneasy. Next to him, Ren felt Ryu stiffen as he watched the guy watch Ellie, who in turn eyed him through narrowed eyes.

"Eleanor. So nice to see you here." He smiled, his eyes bright. His lips bared slightly, showing the shiny teeth. Ren felt edgy all of the sudden, and then looked over at Ellie suspiciously. Did she know that guy? By the way he was looking at her, he could tell she did, but he wasn't too sure about the look on her face. Was she as disgusted as she appeared or was this just a show.

"Luca." She all but snarled "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"No, I thought you wouldn't." Luca grinned, then looked over at Ryu "May I come in? I believe I have an audience with the queen."

"Why don't we go out?" Ellie interjected "I think I have something to warn you about." She glanced over at the guys, gave Ryu a look that appeared slightly apologetic, before pushing Luca outside.

Knowing that they were probably on the same boat, Ren turned over to look at Ryu and hissed: "Does this have something to do with those girls sucking blood? And don't act stupid, I know she's been using you as food." He was about to continue, but the look on the older man's face made him stop. Ryu had somehow moved towards the window and was looking out, apparently trying and failing to be discreet. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was clenched tight. He actually looked angry, which was something Ren had barely seen in the years he'd known him. There was something more to him, something…Ren couldn't quite determine.

"Ryu…?" the younger shaman asked, now seriously worried "What's going on here?"

* * *

"And here I thought you'd be hospitable." Luca snarled as Ellie all but pushed him out on the square "Care to tell me why does this village look so abandoned this fine evening."

"Trashing cars, savaging people…you are discretion itself, aren't you?" she hissed "The people are asleep, and they'll stay asleep until I command them otherwise."

"Still stooping down to petty tricks? You know this won't help. Even if you had the power to lull an entire village to sleep, it'll waste soon enough. They'd come out like frightened kettle as soon as they hear of the demise of their king, and your attempts at protecting won't do them any good."

"So that's why you're here? Pointless murder? You haven't changed at all six decades, haven't you?"

"A village completely secluded from prying eyes…no police, no jurisdiction…only survival matters…I'm surprised you're trying to live here instead of drinking them up, one by one."

"You won't harm them. You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"They're shamans. Their power lies in numbers. In many ways, they are no different than those lousy humans out on the street. When they destroyed the most powerful one of them they did a terrible, terrible mistake-Hao was only slightly less powerful than all of them combined, but they cannot remain the same all the time. They are about as helpless as lambs in a slaughterhouse-hardly a match for even the weakest of us."

Ellie's eyes narrowed and she let out a growl. "You know I'm not going to let anything happen, don't you?"

"Oh, I know that, but it would be such a shame indeed." Luca snarled, turning as if he intended to walk away "You're quite lovely, Eleanor, even when you prefer screwing that trash out there. I'll have to kill you to get to them and I won't even get to cop a feel."

With that, he crouched and pounced-much too slowly for a vampire. Ellie, too noticed that, and launched herself forward, meeting him half way with bared teeth and claws. The two collided in an ear-deafening crash, sending them rolling away from the place where, a second later, stood one of the heads of the Yamata No Orochi.

"Ryu, you idiot!" Ellie screeched, holding Luca down to the ground "Go back inside!"

"Tch…" Luca huffed, grabbing her by the arms and throwing her off him. In a split second, he was on his feet again, baring his teeth "If the dude wants to die, I'll just have to honor his wish."

"The hell you will." Ellie summoned Kamaitachi in her nails and lunged towards him. Ryu made an attempt to continue, but was seized by two strong hands that very promptly threw him back towards the house. Before he could even blink, the door slammed shut and he came face to face with a very beguiled Ren. Outside, Ellie smiled with gratitude and launched at Luca again, this time managing to grab onto the sides of his coat and bite into his neck.

Luca snarled and grabbed her head, forcing her away from him and throwing her on the ground. Her teeth left a bloodied sign on his neck and he hissed as he touched the spot. "Now you're going to get it, you little idiot!" Ellie rolled over and stood up, spitting his blood across the square.

"I don't think so, Luca." She replied, drawing her weapon again "You forget, I'm not alone in this."

"Oh, I remember alright." He said, flexing his body before lunging towards her. They collided again, limbs entangling as both struck and stabbed wherever they could find. It appeared as if Ellie was right to place a sleeping spell, Ren thought tensely as he watched out of the window, if she hadn't, the gut-wrenching screams would've gotten the whole village out.

"Let me out." Ryu rasped next to him, but luckily Ren still managed to restrain him enough. The young man glanced at the living room, where the rest of the guys were blissfully passed out on the couches. His eyes narrowed-it really did appear as if her spell affected the entire village. If that was so, how much else did they have in store? Were they really as weak as they seemed? Outside, Ellie and Luca seemed to be equally matched, if only because she'd drank Ryu's blood. Suddenly, she seemed to snap-her canines became longer and she let out a bestial snarl, jumping and throwing her knees into Luca's shoulders. His hands moved to seize hers, but not before her fingers laced around his throat. She pushed in, as if she was trying to strangle him, but he squeezed her wrists harder and harder, until…

The snap was ear-deafening and Ellie let out a loud cry as her hands were forcefully pried from Luca's throat. He laughed raspily and threw her down, his larger body looming over hers dangerously. At that moment, neither looked like their previous selves-bloodied, angry, they were the epitome of monsters. However, Luca's eyes were bloodshot and wild, conveying without words the horrors that he was about to do. Ryu struggled again, and this time Ren had to knock him out unconscious to keep him sedated. He couldn't have him run out, not right now. If he did, he would probably die and he had no time for this.

Outside, Luca was grinning like a maniac. Ellie's face, all cut up and bleeding, was absolutely unrecognizable, but her eyes, pitch black and shiny, were still wide open. They were focused on Luca with an intensity that equaled his own, but there was no anger or bloodlust in them, Ren realized with astonishment. She was still human, even as a monster.

"You will die." He rasped out "But not before I have my way with you, little girl. I'll violate you, again and again, and we'll see just how much your beloved will stand the sight! Or, better yet, your spell would break and many, many more would rush to your aid. Yes, we'll see."

"Dry up and die, asshole." Ellie spat, eyes shining with vehemence. Luca landed another punch, breaking into her cheek. His other hand seized the hem of her skirt, preparing to tear it off. At that moment, Ren felt terrified enough to go out there and try his hand at fighting Luca, only he didn't have to. Before the vampire could do anything, he paused, astonished at something, and glanced down at his chest in disbelief. There, as thin as a moonbeam, was a silver spear, shining with his blood. Surprised, he turned around to come face to face with a very annoyed Sharona. Before he could even articulate a response, her foot shot out, kicking him away from Ellie and sending him into the nearest brick wall with such force that the building shook. Her face looked disgusted. Slowly, she walked over to Luca and grabbed the thin spear.

"Well lookie what we have here." She drawled "A nice little pooch on a leash." She grabbed the spear tighter and drove it in deeper. Luca let out a loud cry and Ren noticed that there was steam coming out of Sharona's hand as well. Soon, the male vampire was writhing, screaming as something akin to fire spread over his chest. Sharona was looking at him, impassively, before turning her attention to Ellie. Millie had somehow helped her sit up, and the woman was breathing harshly. However, her blood appeared to be draining back from where it came. She could do that? "Care to do the honors, my dear?"

Slowly, Ellie nodded and stood up, Kamaitachi was back in her nails, and her oversoul appeared to shake slightly with her rage. Before Ren could blink, the long nails had dug into Luca's neck, detaching the head from the body savagely. It happened in a matter of seconds, but the bone chilling cry that Luca gave before he was silenced forever made it seem like his agony lasted for an eternity.

* * *


End file.
